Jess talks to a little girl
by mandrake-o
Summary: A chance meeting in the park brings Rory and Jess together for the first time in ten years. Future Lit. WARNING: The 'ending' of this story is highly unsatisfying. It's more a summary of what's supposed to happen because I gave up.
1. The Park

** Jess talks to a little girl**

_Disclaimer: _This is a work of fiction based on characters from the Warner Bros. television show 'Gilmore Girls'. I don't own any of it.

Chapter 1 – The Park

Just picture the scene: Jess is just loitering on a park bench, reading of course. He's wearing his leather jacket. It's a bright, sunny day, and you'd think he'd be hot. Not so, Jess Mariano.

The grass is green, the birds are singing and of course, along comes a small little girl with chestnut hair in pigtails, curling a la Cindy Brady. She has wide blue eyes, is wearing a red and white striped sundress with spaghetti straps and is eating an ice cream… in a cone. It's dripping down the side of the cone and onto her hand. A pink wet tongue makes its way out of her mouth, attempting to remedy the situation. It doesn't help.

Over her ice cream cone, she spots the man in the leather jacket and thinks he looks nice. He's reading a book. She can't read, yet. But her mommy is trying to teach her. She thinks it would be a good idea if he taught her a little. He seems to be pretty good at it. How happy would her mommy be if she could read just a sentence? She liked making her mommy happy.

"Hey Mister," she says.

He ignores her. Perhaps he's doing it on purpose. Perhaps he is truly that engrossed in his novel.

"Mister," she repeats, not used to being ignored.

He turns a page and she thinks he's going to acknowledge her, but he merely sets his hand down on the bench beside him.

She huffs, frustrated. Deciding that covering his hand with an ice cream and saliva one of hers probably isn't the best idea (her mother is always complaining about her putting sticky hands on her dresses), she climbs up onto the bench beside him.

He is clearly ignoring her on purpose.

She clears her throat just like a grown up. "Ahem."

Thoroughly distracted, Jess turns to face her, shutting his book on one of his fingers to keep his place. "Didn't your mother tell you not to talk to strangers?"

She cocks her head to one side and ponders this question for a moment. Her mother has said not to take candy from strangers. And not to get into cars with strangers. But currently her mommy is asleep. This man doesn't even want to talk to her. And besides, he looks a bit like her daddy. "Do you have any candy?" she asks.

"No," he states curtly.

"Then I don't think my mommy will mind."

He reopens his book. Perhaps he should try the ignoring game again.

Her ice cream drips onto his hand. He sighs, and pulls a tissue from his pocket, first wiping his hand, then hers. "Eat your ice cream."

Content for the moment, and forgetting why she spoke to him in the first place, the little girl sits beside him, legs sticking out straight and sandaled toes wiggling. She crunches on her cone happily, humming a little tune he can't place.

He is finally able to finish the page he's been trying to read for the past ten minutes.

Her cone is finished. All she is left with is chocolate smears and sugar cone crumbs. She watches as Jess turns another page. Grumpily she gets up and waves a hand in front of his face to get his attention. "Hello?"

"What is it?" he snaps, glaring at her.

It almost makes her cry. Her chin wobbles. Her eyes well with tears. "I just wanted to ask what you were reading!" she whines.

Jess looks around. No one appears to have noticed that he just made a little girl cry. No mother is swooping in for the kill, shrieking like a banshee. "Please don't cry," he begs, holding his arms up in surrender.

She sniffs, and seems to calm down.

"This book's called 'The Great Gatsby'."

She smiles. "My mom has that one."

Jess nods. She can talk, but it doesn't mean he has to listen.

"Can you read it to me?" she asks.

He thinks about it for a moment. It's not entirely appropriate for a little girl. But on the other hand, she won't understand it. "How old are you?" he asks.

She holds up the three fingers on her left hand and the thumb on her right. "Three and three-quarters. My birthday's in three months."

"Can you read?" he asks her.

She shakes her head, pigtails bouncing. "No. But my mommy's trying to teach me."

"Where is your mommy?" he asks, curiously.

She shrugs, and uses the toe of her right foot to scratch her left leg. She tilts off balance and starts to fall before Jess catches her.

She giggles. "Do it again."

His heart had been beating furiously, worried for her safety. "I don't think so," he states.

The little girl frowns, then pouts. "Pretty please?" she looks up at him with puppy dog eyes that must have melted a million men before him.

He shakes his head.

She sits down on his lap grumpily and crosses her arms across her chest.

Jess is extremely uncomfortable with this situation. "Don't you think your mom will be worried about you?"

"She fell asleep," the girl states.

"What about your dad?"

"He's working." She says this petulantly, as though this isn't the first time he's been working instead of being at the park with her and her mother.

He knows that feeling. The one you get when someone you really care about isn't there when you want them… It's even worse when you need them.

They sit in peace for a moment, before the girl grows bored of her position and shifts so that she is now facing Jess. "I'm bored," she states.

Jess almost laughs. She says this with the most deadpan expression. It is very unbefitting of a girl of only three and three-quarters. You wouldn't think that mere moments ago she'd had an ice cream and nearly plummeted to her death off a park bench.

"Do you have any colouring in books?" she asks seriously.

"No, sorry," he holds up his hands, showing that he has nothing else.

He has a pen in his shirt pocket, though. She can see it where his jacket has been pushed back. She pilfers it, going to draw on something.

"Give that back, please," Jess asks, holding out a hand.

She shakes her head. "I want it."

"But it's mine," Jess is almost reduced to her level.

"Why do you have it anyway?" she asks. It is incomprehensible to her that he would carry a yucky black fountain pen instead of a set of colourful crayons.

He opens his novel and shows her. "I like to write things in the margins."

She frowns. "My mommy says that's a bad thing. The only books you're supposed to write in are colouring books."

He shrugs. "Lots of people think like your mommy."

"My mommy's not like lots o' people," she grumbles, crossing her arms and hiding the pen from his view.

"She's got you," Jess admits. "Not a lot of people have you."

Her smile comes back across her face. "I like you."

"That's nice," he dismisses it.

"Aren't you gonna say it back?"

He ponders this for a moment, looking at her as she grows increasingly distressed. "I like you, too," he admits finally. He looks at his watch, worried about the fact that he might not have just said that to appease her… that he may have said it because he honestly meant it. She has been here for nearly half an hour. Where is her mother? Has she been abandoned? He does not want to have to deal with that. "Can I meet your mother?" he asks, finally. The only way he is going to be able to get rid of her is to deposit her with her mother.

She smiles brightly at him. "Okay! I think she'll like you," she says as she clambers off the bench. "She likes to read, like a lot. And you like to read. She's trying to teach me how to read. That's why I wanted to talk to you. Because I want her to be proud of me. She'll be proud of me if I can read."

Jess is baffled. All of a sudden she began rambling and he isn't quite sure what to make of it. There was a missing sentence there somewhere. Or a missing word. Something wasn't there that would make him understand what it was that she was saying.

She looks up at him and huffs. "Well?" If she knew how to roll her eyes, she'd be doing that right now. "Are we going or what?"

He slowly rises from his seat, shutting his novel, and placing it in his back pocket. He needn't mark his place. He's read the book a million times before.

She grabs his hand with a sticky one of hers. He winces internally. He can't wait to get rid of her finally and go home. Far away from small children and ice cream cone smears.

She tears off as fast as her little feet can carry her, and as fast as Jess will let her go. She is still clinging to his fingers.

Jess is alarmed by the distance she traveled by herself with only an ice cream cone for company. Anything could have happened to her. Jess obviously wasn't the best choice of parent in the world, but even he knew not to leave small children unattended in a park. There were all sorts of people in the world who would do all sorts of things to innocent little kids. Jess knew about that.

The little girl slows down. She raises the pointer finger on her other hand and indicates to a woman lying on the ground. There is a book lying over her face, and her brown hair is splayed over the picnic rug. She is wearing a pastel yellow sundress. Her feet are bare and strappy sandals are discarded by the rug. "That's my mom," the girl says, though by this time Jess has worked it out.

"Does she often do this?" Jess asks. "Fall asleep, I mean."

The girl shrugs and lets go of his hand. "Daddy hasn't been around much this week."

Jess wanders over to the woman, sitting beside her and removing the book from her face. He almost gasps as he examines her face. It is a familiar face. But one he hasn't seen in years. Her complexion has turned slightly sallow. There are heavy bags under her eyes and her cheekbones stick out too prominently.

The girl watches as Jess examines her mother's face. "What are you doing?" she asks, quietly.

It isn't quiet enough, though. Her mother stirs and opens her eyes. Cornflower blue meet earthy brown.

"Rory," he breathes.

* * *

A/N: Who wasn't expecting that? 

So how was it? I don't usually write in present tense, but it just kind of came out. At first it was only going to be a summary, but it evolved into full sentences and descriptions. After this chapter I have not a clue which tense I'll use. I think I'll keep up the present for the present. But knowing me I'll probably get tired of it. And there are bound to be moments when present tense would just be strange.


	2. The Houses

** Jess talks to a little girl**

_Disclaimer: _This is a work of fiction based on characters from the Warner Bros. television show 'Gilmore Girls'. I don't own any of it.

_Author's Note:_ You guys rock my world. I've never gotten this many reviews for the first chapter of a multi-chaptered fic before… actually, now I think you guys have surpassed the most I've gotten for a single-chapter fic, too.

By the way, since I'm ever so unreliable and this seems so popular, I think I'll start a mailing list for this fic so leave a review, or email me and I'll add you.

Hope Chapter Two lives up to the first. I think the reason why this has taken too long to write is because it's too long. But I really, really didn't want to cut it.

Chapter Two – The Houses

There is a familiar male face hovering above her own. Rory is confused. She hasn't seen this face in years. She'd almost forgotten it, him. She passes it off as sheer exhaustion. This certainly hasn't been the best week of her life.

He says her name and she realises that he really is there, and he isn't just a figment of her over-active imagination.

She sits up, quickly, stupidly, and their heads crash together. She winces, and rubs her forehead with a hand.

She can tell he has just held back a swear word. She is glad. After all, Dani is around. The blood drains from her face. Dani. How long has she been asleep? She has left Dani unattended in a park full of crazies and loons, and people named Jess.

"How long was I asleep?" she asks.

Jess shrugs, and frowns at her. "She came with a half-melted ice cream cone. And she's been talking at me for the past half hour."

"Oh my God," she exclaims. "Where is she?" She peers around Jess and spots her daughter playing with a black pen.

Dani smiles at her mother. "Look, mommy. The nice man gave me his pen."

Jess scowls. "I did not give you my pen. You pilfered it."

"Dani, give Mr. Mariano back his pen."

"How come you know his name?" the little girl asks, still withholding the pen.

Rory shrugs, looking over at Jess who is now sharing her picnic rug. "We used to be friends."

Dani's mouth opens in comprehension. "Oh," she drawls. "Well, he's my friend now."

"Is he now?" Rory smirks, as she looks over at the uncomfortable Jess.

"Yup," the girl nods enthusiastically. "He said he likes me."

He knew that was going to come back and haunt him. He rolls his eyes, trying to indicate to Rory that he didn't really mean it, but that he only wanted to shut her up and not make her cry.

"Did he really?" Rory smirk widens.

"Right," Jess interrupts, standing. "Now that I've returned your daughter, I think I should go."

Mother and daughter both frown. Jess is just the distraction Rory's been looking for lately. And Dani seems to like him. Not to mention he did watch her daughter while she slept like the irresponsible woman she never wanted to be.

Rory grabs his hand and pulls him back onto the picnic rug. "Stay," she commands, sternly.

Jess scowls. "Why should I?"

"Because I want you to?" Rory offers.

Jess looks at her, indicating that this isn't really enough.

Rory pouts. "I haven't gotten to thank you yet for looking after Dani while I was asleep."

"Well you have now," he insists on attempting to stand once again. He can't. Rory still has a tight grip on his arm. "Rory," he pleads.

"Jess," she whines. "I haven't seen you in like ten years. And you're just going to go away? We used to be friends."

"Rory, I have to go."

"Where?" she asks.

"Home," he responds lazily.

"So you don't have to be anywhere."

Dani seems to realise her new friend wants to leave. She wanders over to Jess and takes his arm. "I'll give you your pen back if you have dinner with us."

Jess notices that both his arms have been taken hostage by Gilmores. "Thieves, both of you," he states.

Rory realises that this is a sign that he has given in. "You can come back with us," she says. "I'll make you dinner."

Jess scoffs. "Do I look like the kind of guy who enjoys food-poisoning?"

Dani frowns. "Mommy's the best cook in the world."

"Really?" Jess turns to Rory.

She seems to shift a little guiltily. But maybe he's just imagining that. "I took a few cooking classes."

"Well this, I have to see," he smirks.

"Good." Rory finally releases his arm.

He stands, and she looks up at him pitifully.

"Help me up please?" she asks, raising her arms.

He rolls his eyes, takes her hands and lifts her up.

"Me next, me next!" Dani exclaims, imitating her mother's position.

Jess frowns, but cannot refuse her. The little girl is lifted lightly to her feet.

She smiles brightly, then latches on to his hand.

Meanwhile, Rory is folding the picnic blanket, and has placed her shoes back on her feet.

"Just wait 'til we get home," Dani grins. "I'm going to show you my room. And you can meet Mr. Longneck."

"Mr. Longneck?" Jess queries. It sounds like a beer bottle.

"He's a giraffe," Dani smiles.

"My mom gave it to her when she was born."

"How is Lorelai?" Jess asks.

Rory shrugs, patting the now folded rug. "She's good. Don't pretend you don't know from Luke. I know you two still talk."

Now it is Jess' turn to shrug. "Well, he's my uncle. And he's the closest thing to a father I ever had. Jimmy's more of a friend."

"Come on!" Dani exclaims, interrupting any more meaningful conversation.

"We're coming," Rory replies. She now has the picnic blanket under one arm and the basket over the other.

Sighing, Jess takes the blanket and drapes it over one arm. Rory appreciates it, but doesn't say anything for fear of his reaction.

"Our car's this way," Rory indicates with her left hand.

"Well, I live just over there," Jess indicates. "I don't need a car."

"Never pictured you as they type to live somewhere like here," she smiles. They are surrounded by quaint family homes.

"I never pictured you anywhere but Stars Hollow," Jess countered.

Rory frowns a little. "We go back there about every second week."

"Come on!" Dani repeats, frustrated by the adults' inability to walk and talk.

They head to the car. It is a small blue sedan. A child's car seat is in the back and a blue blanket lies beside it. Rory opens the boot, and they place the picnic gear inside. Dani is buckled into her car-seat and the trio head for Rory's place.

"Mr. Merry-moron," Dani says, mispronouncing Jess' last name.

Rory laughs. "Mariano, sweetie," she corrects.

"Mary-mano?" Dani tries again.

"Just call me Jess," Jess tells her.

"Call him Uncle Jess," Rory says. "He's your Grandpa Luke's nephew. And your Aunty Jacqui and Brian's brother." Jess' half sister and brother lived in Stars Hollow with their parents, so it was understandable that Dani would know them.

"Just call me Jess," Jess repeats, glaring at Rory.

"Jess," she pronounces carefully. "What's your favourite TV show? I like Miss Sparkles' Tree-house."

Jess is silent.

Dani's eyes narrow. "Don't you have a favourite TV show?"

"I like to watch the news," Jess replies, finally.

"Bo-ring," Dani condemns it. "You're as boring as mommy. Have you seen an episode of Miss Sparkles?"

Jess shakes his head.

"Well, you can watch it with me today. I'll even teach you the songs."

Rory laughs.

"Watch the road," Jess grumbles.

Rory looks up. "We're here."

It is a modest townhouse. The perfect size for a family of three. Rory parks in the garage and leads Jess and her daughter up into the house through the back way.

Rory begins giving Jess the grand tour. "As you can see, to your right is the laundry. And the door beside it is the closet where we keep various cleaning supplies."

Jess nods as though he is interested by the idea of a closet where cleaning supplies are kept. "May I have a look?" he asks, politely.

Rory shakes her head and laughs.

"That's boring, too," Dani complains.

"Well," Rory says. "If you go through there, Jess, it's the lounge, there's books and a TV. I'm just going to take Dani upstairs to change out of her sticky clothes."

Dani looks put out.

"Speaking of stickiness," Jess says. "She dripped on me earlier. Where's the bathroom?"

"Through the lounge, you'll see the kitchen, turn around, go through the hall and it's the first door on your left. And you can put your jacket in the hall closet to your right."

"Thanks," Jess says, not quite sure if he really means it. Her instructions don't seem to make much sense, but he walks into the lounge anyway. If all else fails, he knows where the laundry sink is.

"Come on, Dani," Rory says, taking her daughter's hand and leading her up the nearby staircase. They head into the upstairs bathroom and a grubby three-year-old face and hands are washed. Dani whines the entire way through.

Rory grows fed up. "If you keep whining, Dani," she proclaims. "I'm going to lock you in your room. And that means no Miss Sparkles, and no Jess. I'll even take Mr. Longneck out."

"No!" Dani exclaims. "I'll be good."

Rory smiles. Her daughter is so easy to threaten. She'd never lock her daughter up in a room by herself.

Meanwhile, Jess discovers that Rory's strange instructions make sense when one is actually physically following them. He places his jacket in the closet, finishes washing up in the bathroom and heads straight for the bookshelf. He wants to see if Rory still owns some of the same books. There are several bookshelves covering the wall to his right. They span from the floor to the ceiling, covering the entire painted surface. Actually, maybe it hadn't been painted. Jess would have no way of knowing. The leftmost bookshelf is covered in legal volumes. Jess wonders if the entire collection of laws of the United States is housed on those shelves. Also on this set of shelves are thick hardcover books that appear to be mystery novels and political thrillers. These definitely aren't Rory's.

The next two sets of shelves are a large collection. Browsing them, Jess realises they are categorised by genre, then alphabetised by author's surname. He is amused when he looks at the Gs in the historical fiction section. There are three small volumes written by a Lorelai L. Gilmore. Jess doesn't remove them. He has read them before. Squatting to better observe the classics, he realises that the bottom three shelves in both cases are devoted to children's books. There are picture books, and activity books. There are also all the classics that he remembers reading as a child. He imagines Rory sitting by a bedside reading to a slowly dozing Dani. He smiles in spite of himself. Looking for Dickens, and Oliver Twist, Jess can't find it. He frowns, wondering where it is. He stands up again and observes the shelves higher than his eye line. It is a familiar sight. In a row, exactly as they had been arranged in her youth, are Rory's old paperbacks.

The covers are worn, and Jess knows that it is partly his fault because of his habit of placing borrowed tomes in his back pants pocket. The ink is fading off them. They look well-loved. He spies the familiar copy of 'Oliver Twist' and opens it to a page. A single pressed flower is marking a page and in his own handwriting is written "It's a facade. You only see him how he wants you to." Jess closes his eyes and thinks back to the time when he wrote those words.

He'd borrowed the novel from Rory. He'd even asked this time, since he knew it was one of her favourites. He had his own copy, of course. But he'd wanted to read hers. Even though she'd never left so much as a single pencil mark on the pages, it still felt of Rory. He could almost feel her thoughts and know what she was thinking as she read each sentence just by holding the book, and inhaling its essence. It was an enthralling experience. New thoughts came, a thousand a minute, and the pen in his hand had struggled to keep up with his eyes and his mind. Jess had felt similarly when he'd read her books before, but it was never more strongly than at this time. It was this feeling that had drawn him to Rory in the first place. When he'd first picked up her copy of 'Howl', it was merely to lose himself in good fiction to pass the time. But the book had drawn him in with its spirit, and it was distinctly Rory.

That is how Rory catches him. He is standing, looking between the pages of a worn novel that appears to be Oliver Twist by the shape and placement of the hole in her bookshelves. His eyes aren't focused and Rory wonders what he is remembering. There are a million memories. So much has happened in the ten years since she last saw him at Luke and Lorelai's wedding. And in comparison to how much time she's spent with Paul, she didn't know Jess for very long, or very well, really. But there are still a million very vivid memories.

"What book are you reading, now?" Dani asks. She is too young to realise that he is having a moment, and not reading the book at all. Too young to realise that she shouldn't interrupt.

Jess is momentarily startled. There is no place for little girls in his memory. "Oliver Twist."

Rory smiles. She was right. Perhaps she should feel ashamed that she knows her book collection so well, but she just feels content. She knows exactly what she owns. There is an inventory in her mind storing the titles, authors and genres, as well as who gave her which book, and how many Jess has written in. Thirteen she thinks hold his thoughts. They used to devour books back then. Now, Rory rarely has a chance to just read.

"What's it about?" Dani asks. "Can I see? Are there pictures?"

"No," he replies. "No pictures." He kneels down to her level and shows her.

"That's my mommy's book," she states. "You wrote in my mommy's book." She is upset that he would do such a thing.

"I wrote that a long time ago, Dani," Jess confides her. "Before you were even born."

Dani's eyes grow wide. "That book is really old!"

Rory chuckles to herself softly. "Come on, I'll put Miss Sparkles on." Rory heads over to the television and pulls a disc from the cabinet beside it.

Dani excitedly grabs Jess' hand and pulls him toward the sofa.

Jess spends a mind-numbing half hour watching as a fairy and a toad sing about friendship and cleaning up after yourself. Good clean fun for the under five. Jess was living in a nightmare. He excuses himself to the kitchen where Rory is busy cooking.

"What are you doing in here?" Rory asks.

Jess merely looks at her.

Rory grins. "Miss Sparkles got to you, huh?"

"No, that wasn't it at all," Jess says sarcastically. "Actually I came in to see you cooking."

The grin slides off Rory's face. "Yeah."

Jess looks around and notices that Rory is making pasta. The pasta has already been set to boil and she is carefully chopping vegetables to place into the sauce.

"You seem to be doing remarkably well so far."

"I told you, I took lessons."

"Packet pasta?"

"It's just about the only thing Dani will eat."

"Good cover," Jess acknowledges.

Rory grins again. "And I didn't even have to think about it."

"I'm bored!" Dani proclaims petulantly, wandering into the kitchen. She looks imploringly at Jess. "Do something fun."

Jess ponders this for a moment and Dani huffs in exasperation.

"Come on," she grabs his wrist and pulls him back into the lounge room. Jess can see that Miss Sparkles is still on the screen. She sits back down on the couch and crosses her arms. "I'm waiting."

Jess pulls his wallet from his back pocket and removes a quarter. He shows it to her. She tries to grab it, but he forms his hands into two fists.

"Which hand is it in?" he asks.

Dani's eyes are wide as she ponders each possibility. "That one," she decides finally, pointing to Jess's right hand. He opens his right hand and the coin isn't there. "That one!" She giggles as she points to Jess' left hand. Jess opens it and it isn't there. Dani's eyes are wide. "Where'd it go?"

"I'm not sure," Jess states. He pretends to notice something funny about her ear. "Hey, what's that there?" He reaches over and retrieves the quarter from behind her ear. "That's a funny place to put a coin, Dani," Jess says.

Dani is very amused. She claps her hands then grabs the coin from Jess and runs into the kitchen to her mother.

"Mommy! Jess pulled a coin from behind my ear!" Dani says this with wonderment in her voice, holding the coin up for her mother to see.

"Let me see that, honey," Rory says, wiping her hands on a tea towel. "That's legal tender alright."

"Legal tender?" Dani queries.

"Real money," Jess clarifies.

Rory looks at Jess. "I can't believe you pulled a coin from behind her ear."

Jess shrugs. "What can I say? I've been wanting to do that to a Gilmore since I met you."

"So how's it feel to have that dream fulfilled?"

"Pretty good. Pretty insert swear word here good."

"Mommy, can I keep the coin?" Dani asks.

"You'll have to ask your Uncle Jess." Rory smiles to herself when she sees the expression on Jess' face.

"Uncle Jess, may I please keep the coin."

"Yeah."

"Yay. And mommy, can I invite Sarah over so that Jess can pull a coin out of her ear?"

"Sorry honey, it's too late. It's nearly dinner time."

"Aw," Dani complains. "Can I invite her over tomorrow, then?"

"Sure sweetie. Now, let mommy finish making dinner so that we can eat."

"What is it?" Dani asks.

"Spaghetti."

"Yuck!" Dani makes a face.

Rory is surprised. Jess is amused.

"You loved spaghetti last time we had it."

"But Debbie says it looks like worms. And it does."

"You're going to have to eat it anyway, young lady."

Dani frowns and stomps out.

Rory rolls her eyes and frowns. "Can you go and make sure she isn't going to go hide in her closet and fall asleep? She needs to eat and she'll be ten times as grumpy if I have to wake her up."

"Sure you wouldn't rather do that? I can watch a pot of pasta."

"Are you sure you're qualified to watch a pot of pasta?"

"I have years of experience in the food service industry."

"That you do. But I'm watching the pot."

Jess rolls his eyes and wanders back into the living room. "Dani?" he calls.

She is sitting on the bottom step of the staircase. "I'm not hungry."

"Well, you can save your hungriness for dinnertime," he says. He considers each statement before he says it, worried that he'll say something to upset her. He has learnt that small children are volatile. "Do you want me to pull another quarter from behind your ear? You can give it to your friend."

Dani grins. He'll have to remember that the coin trick never fails to impress.

After an amount of persuading by her mother, and another couple of quarters (so that Dani now had one for each of her friends), Dani went to dinner without complaint and ate peacefully enough. After dinner, they watched a movie, and Jess started to think about going home. When the short animated movie was finished, Rory put Dani to bed while Jess channel surfed.

Rory comes down the stairs when Dani is settled into bed.

"Help me wash the dishes?" she asks her guest.

"Me? Do the dishes?" Jess stands to confront Rory.

"I bet you're the best dishwasher in this house," Rory states, crossing her arms.

Jess rolls his eyes. "Because you've never had a home-cooked meal made by your mother in your life?"

"And you have?" Rory queries.

"Touché," Jess acknowledges.

"Come on," Rory says, heading back into the kitchen. Jess can do nothing but follow her.

Rory is removing detergent and rubber gloves from beneath the sink. The sink is full of dirty dishes.

"How many pots do you need to make pasta?" Jess wonders.

Rory shrugs. "It's not that many."

"There are like five in there."

Rory looks sheepish.

"I have to admit you did quite well, though," Jess concedes.

Rory grins. "Thank you." She tosses him a pair of gloves while the sink fills with water.

Sighing, Jess pulls them on.

"So what do you do for a living?" Rory asks Jess, squirting detergent in.

"Latin teacher," he winces, knowing that she's going to tease him about this. There has already been too much making fun of Jess already today.

"Latin teacher," she repeats slowly, as though it is incomprehensible. It almost is.

"Yeah," he shrugs.

She shakes her head. "I can't picture it."

"So don't." He tries to change the subject. "I read your column, you know."

Rory is ignoring him. "How'd you get into that? I mean, no offence, you dropped out of high school. Why would you want to teach at one?"

He realises that he is not going to get away without an explanation. "A few months after I last saw you, my great-grandmother died. I'd never met her, but Jimmy, my dad, paid for me to go see her with him. Sort of like a bonding experience. So we went to Italy, where my dad hadn't been since he was left, a few years before I was born. I'd never learnt Italian, but after the few weeks we spent there, I was nearly fluent. Turns out I have a knack for languages."

"So, why Latin?" Rory inquires. "Why choose a dead language?"

"For the history, I guess. Some things need preserving."

Rory smirks. "Look at you, all emotional."

"Shut up." He is determined to make her as uncomfortable as he has just been.

"So, where is he?" he asks.

"He? Who?" Rory asks, genuinely confused.

"Your daughter's father. The man I'm assuming is your husband."

Rory sighs, and Jess notices that it's a tired one, not a frustrated one. "Paul. My husband, though it doesn't seem like it's going to last for very long, now." She trails a finger along the countertop's edge as she sighs. "We've been fighting a lot lately. About everything. He's at a conference in Chicago this week. He hasn't called since the day before yesterday. And we really need the space."

Jess is sorry for prying. He doesn't need to know the sad parts of Rory's life, but is glad that she still feels as though she can share them with him, instead of putting on a false façade of happiness.

He wants to get off the topic. "Uncle Jess?" Jess asks Rory.

"Why not?" Rory asks. "You're her second cousin-in-law. You're family." She hands him a pot.

"Because, Rory," Jess states, taking it and picking up a scrubbing brush. "I'm probably not going to see you again after today."

"You will," Rory states.

"How do you know that?"

"Because you wouldn't break a little girl's heart like that."

"I broke yours."

"I was six times her age."

"But I'm grumpy," Jess states. "I'm impolite, rude, and sometimes I can't stop myself from swearing."

"You're good with her. She adores you."

"I'm not the sort of person she should be adoring."

"She already does. Too late, you can't get out of it. You're a role model, Uncle Jess."

"Luke never let me call him Uncle Luke. I don't see why I should let her."

"Have you seen those baby blue puppy dog eyes?"

"Gilmores," Jess grumbles.

Rory grins. "There's the grumpy Uncle Jess we all know and love."

Jess smirks. "You love me," he teases.

"Shut up!" Rory exclaims, grabbing a handful of bubbles and blowing them into Jess' face.

The bubbles settle on Jess' nose and he goes cross-eyed as he looks at them.

"You're going down, Gilmore." He takes a handful of the suds and gently pops them against her face.

Liquid is now dripping down Rory's face.

Rory shrieks, and throws her sponge at Jess.

Jess retaliates by flicking water at her from the brush.

Rory grabs another handful of bubbles and makes for Jess' hair.

"You wouldn't dare," he states, looking at her.

"Try me," she teases.

He takes the pot he has been scrubbing and uses it to pull some soapy water from the sink. "If I go down, you're going down right with me."

"Fine, fine, I surrender," Rory says, wiping her gloved hands clean of bubbles.

"That's what I thought," Jess says, emptying the pot into the sink.

"Whatever you reckon," Rory picks up her sponge, noticing the mess they've made on the floor. "Look at the mess you made," she accuses.

"Oh no," Jess raises his hands as though he's the innocent victim. "Don't you pin that on me. That was all you, Gilmore."

"It wasn't," Rory frowns, turning toward the sink. "And my last name's not Gilmore."

"What is it, by the way?" Jess inquires.

"Bancroft," Rory states grimly.

"You could have done worse, Gilmore."

Rory lets the name slide this time. "I know."

Wanting to change the subject to something more light-hearted, Jess steers toward his sister. "Does Dani seriously call Jacqui 'Aunty Jacqui'?"

"Yes," Rory smiles. "Jacqui insisted."

"But she's nine," Jess protested.

"And that's exactly why you shouldn't complain about being 'Uncle Jess'."

"Because you're insane?"

"Too right."

The pair get back to scrubbing.

"I can't believe you know how old Jacqui is," Rory mutters to herself, not quite sure she wants Jess to hear.

"Excuse me?" Jess is offended.

"I'm sorry," Rory apologises. And she is. "I just never pictured you as the type to care that much."

"I love my little sister, and for you to say anything to the contrary is quite offensive."

"I said I was sorry," Rory protested, turning on the tap. Somehow they'd managed to finish all the dishes in the sink. "But you're never there on her birthdays."

"I send her a card and a present every year," Jess says.

Suddenly Rory realises something. "It's because of me, isn't it?"

"What? No!"

"It is," Rory states. "You stay away from your only sister's birthday parties because you know I'm going to be there."

"Not everything is about you, Rory."

"No, but in this case it is. I can't believe you. I've moved on. Why can't you?"

"Well, you don't seem to have moved on that well," Jess spat. "And I have moved on. This isn't about you!"

"You keep saying it, and I'm still hearing it. But it doesn't make it true."

"You know what Rory, fine!" Jess slams down the pot he was holding, waiting to put it under the tap. "I'm out of here."

He begins to remove a glove, but Rory stops him with a hand.

"I'm sorry, Jess," Rory says. "Really, I am. I just don't understand what would stop you from being there."

"I can't tell you, Rory," Jess says, solemnly.

"It's okay, I understand that, if not the other."

They spend a moment just looking at each other, pondering the new level of understanding they have just reached.

Jess really doesn't know why he is still here. He's been insulted and tease, and they've argued. And yet, here he was still.

"I'm gonna-"

The back door creaks open, and the pair turn to see who it is. Jess tenses defensively, but the person has a key and is therefore someone Rory knows. A tall, olive-skinned man with slightly wavy brown hair enters the kitchen. Jess recognises his face from the various framed photographs in the living room.

"Paul," Rory states, surprised. She had been hoping that he would be her mother and not her husband. She does not want to have to deal with him now, after having had such a stress-free day. It has been good seeing Jess again, she feels seventeen again. Young, and full of life. Even if it means petty arguments and stupid thoughts.

"Rory," he replies, looking pointedly at Jess.

"Oh," she says, and begins to gesture with her hand. "This is-"

"Jess Mariano," Jess states, removing a rubber glove and extending a hand.

Paul takes it, at the same time evaluating Jess in his gaze.

"Jess is an old friend," Rory states. "We ran into each other at the park."

"We haven't seen each other in years, so Rory invited me to dinner," Jess wasn't quite sure why he felt the need to explain himself. Perhaps he felt guilty about spending time alone with another man's wife.

Rory was thankful that Jess left out the part where she had only done it because she felt she owed him for looking after their daughter while she slept.

"We were just washing up," Rory adds, realising again that the floor is quite wet and covered with bubbles.

Jess removes the second rubber glove and places the pair beside the sink. "I should get home," he states. "It was nice seeing you again, Rory. Nice meeting you, Paul."

Paul just nods as Jess leaves the room. But he reacts when Rory goes after him.

Rory waylays Jess by the closet where he had placed his jacket earlier.

"How are you getting home?" Rory asks Jess.

"I'll take a bus," Jess replies.

"Do you even know when the next one comes? Where the bus stop is?"

"The bus stop's about two houses down. And if there are no buses, then I'll just walk."

"It'll take you like an hour, and this is New York."

Jess makes a face. "New York State. In the suburbs. And I grew up in New York City. Two years in Stars Hollow isn't going to change that."

Jess opens the front door. Rory stalks over and blocks the doorway.

"What do you want from me, Rory?"

"A phone number," she states simply. "And for you to let me call you a cab."

"You know my uncle. And if it comes to it, I can call my own cab."

It starts to rain lightly. Jess can see it through the screen door.

"Look, it's raining," Rory points.

"It's not going to kill me."

"Please, Jess?" she pouts. Jess is about to agree when Paul interrupts.

"That won't be necessary," he states.

The pair are slightly startled. They didn't notice that they were being observed.

Paul grabs his jacket from the closet and pulls keys out of the pocket. "I'll drive you."

"Really," Jess states. "I can make my own way home. It's no big deal."

"Let Paul take you, Jess. You know how spoilt I was. I always get my way."

Jess smirks. "And we wouldn't ever want the town princess to want for anything."

Rory shuts the door, finalising the arrangement, and Jess heads back toward the garage where they came in.

Paul unlocks his car and Jess gets in. He then turns to his wife, takes her hand gently and kisses her softly on the cheek. "I'll be back soon. Then we can talk."

"Drive safely," she replies.

Jess watches from the car as soft words and gestures are shared between the married couple. It was strange. Hadn't Rory told him mere hours ago that they'd probably be getting a divorce soon?

Paul gets into the driver's seat and starts the engine.

"So where's this house of yours?" Paul asks.

"Milton Avenue, Langley." Jess states.

"That's pretty swanky," Paul comments.

"Not my end," Jess returns.

They reverse out of the driveway and are now headed back down the street.

"So you're from New York City," Paul attempts to make conversation. He obviously hasn't heard about Jess from Rory.

"Yup."

"So how do you know Rory, then?"

Something tells Jess not to trust this guy. "I lived in Stars Hollow for a couple of years."

"So you got to know Rory pretty quickly, then?"

"Everyone knew Rory," Jess comments, evading the question.

"But you were friends, right?" Paul seems to be trying to determine the exact nature of Jess' relationship with Rory.

"When she wasn't pissed off at me."

"Rory doesn't get pissed off."

A smirk quirks a corner of Jess' mouth. "She was always pissed off at me."

"Why?"

"We had different values, I guess you could say."

"Why does she consider you her friend, then?"

Jess is getting tired of the third degree. "What does it matter?"

"Geez," Paul complains, loosening his grip on the steering wheel. "Can't a guy try to make conversation?"

Jess relaxed. "Guess Rory never told you how I don't converse."

"Something we have in common, then," Paul states. "Rory's always going on about how I don't talk to her friends."

"I never had much in common with Rory and her friends. Rory and I read most of the same books, and that was about it. Though we managed to have debates on the others."

"Were you and she ever together?"

This question has come out of nowhere and Jess blows up. "Where do you get off asking these questions?" He briefly glances out the window. "My house is that one." He indicates with his right hand.

Paul pulls into the driveway. When Jess tries the door he finds that it is locked. Before he can unlock it, Paul leans over and holds the switch down.

"I want to know." His voice is like steel.

"Rory will tell you what she wants to tell you. It's not my place to tell you."

"She's never mentioned you before."

"We haven't spoken in years. Maybe she forgot."

"We ran into a Logan Huntzberger the other week. She hadn't mentioned him, either. Turns out he was an old boyfriend."

Jess is put out. He wants to get out, but doesn't really want to divulge the details of that part of his life to Rory's husband of all people. He sighs and gives in. "We went out for a couple of months before I screwed up and ran to the West Coast."

"I hope you're not planning to make a move on my wife."

Jess grows defensive. "Territorial, aren't you?" He rolls his eyes and scowls. He doesn't want to give this to Paul, but it looks like this will be the only way to get out of this car. "Look. Her mother is married to my uncle. We're like cousins. I wouldn't dare."

This seems to put Paul at ease and he removes his hand. "Don't call her."

Jess frowns and unlocks the door. "Did you see me trying to contact her? I haven't in years. I'm not about to start. And she's always had the option of contacting me. She never did."

Jess gets out of the car and makes his way up his path to the front door of his house.

It is a fairly large three-bedroom home. It is too big for Jess alone but he hadn't been thinking that when he'd purchased it. Every time Jess entered it, he felt lonely and alone. Silence had always disturbed him and in his house, it abounded. He refused to sell it, though. He didn't want to live in yet another apartment.

This was the first house Jess had ever lived in. In New York City, he and his mother had drifted from flat to flat. And he and Luke had lived above the diner in what could barely be called an apartment, since it was really more of an office before the renovations. He hadn't really lived at Jimmy's. He never even had a bed there. And after that it was apartment to apartment once again. Though, he did manage to live in some quite large ones. Ironically, the biggest place he'd ever lived in was the only one he'd ever lived in alone.

Jess puts his jacket away neatly on a hanger in the hall closet. He doesn't bother turning the lights on and heads straight upstairs. It is a similar routine every night; the same one he's adhered to for nearly five years now.

As Jess lies in bed, he ponders his day and wonders if he'll see Rory Gilmore again in another ten years.

A/N: Erm… somehow this ended up being really long. And we haven't even gotten to Rory's conversation with Paul yet. There's a long way to go yet, guys.

By the way (if you didn't read the top author's note), there's a mailing list for this fic. So email me (shoes underscore blues at hotmail dot com) and I'll add you.

And the back-story for this fic, 'Jess meets his nonna', is out. It's all about Jess and his relationship with Jimmy, and a million little other questions you might have from this story are going to be answered there (if not later in this one). So read it, but it's not necessary.


	3. A Need for Nine Stitches

**Jess talks to a little girl**

_Disclaimer: _Work of fiction. Don't own anything. Yada, yada.

_Author's Note:_ sighs It has been a while, hasn't it? But I'm so not the most reliable person in the world. Heck, I'm posting this tonight, and chances are that by the time I get around to mailing people on the mailing list they'll already have read this chapter.

Thanks to all the reviewers. I don't like to do individual replies (because I blab way too much and it detracts from the story), but I do appreciate them immensely. I love how you all hate Paul. Yes he is a jerk, and in my opinion, worse than Dean… Rory really knows how to pick 'em, doesn't she? Even when it's me doing the choosing.

Chapter 3: A need for Nine Stitches

Rory sighs as she wakes. The bed is still slightly warm beside her, but Paul is no longer in the room. It had taken longer than expected for Paul to return the night before, so Rory had retired to bed after cleaning the kitchen. Rory rises from the bed slowly. She pulls on her dressing gown and makes her way to the kitchen. The sight warms her heart.

Dani is seated at the kitchen table in her pink cow pyjamas. She has a plastic cup half full of orange juice beside her and a nibbled slice of toast with raspberry jam smeared on it, and consequently, her. "Good morning, mommy," she calls happily.

Paul is standing at the stovetop frying eggs, bacon and tomatoes. He completes the second half of a perfect Sunday morning picture.

"Good morning, Dani," Rory greets her daughter, kissing her gently on the forehead. Rory wipes the jam from her lips with her left hand before approaching Paul.

He turns to greet her with a stiff smile; a sign that he hasn't yet forgiven her for whatever it is she's done wrong. She kisses him sweetly on the cheek anyway. He gently encircles her waist with his right arm and returns the small peck. Rory relaxes. Maybe he has forgiven her after all.

"It smells delicious," Rory comments with a deep inhale.

"But not as great as Luke's, right?"

The mention of her stepfather's name brings Rory's thoughts to his nephew. Her eyes drift shut as she imagines a different arm that once held her securely around the waist.

"Rory?" Paul queries, bringing her from her pleasant thoughts.

Rory fakes a yawn and stretches slightly. "You know it's just as good."

"Right," Paul says sceptically.

"What you lack in culinary skill is more than made up for in husbandly love."

Paul smiles genuinely down at her before removing his arm and switching off the gas. "Is 'husbandly' even a word?"

"Yes," Rory laughs. "As the resident literary buff-"

"And writer of New York's finest column," Paul interrupts.

"That too," Rory acknowledges with a smug smirk. "As I was saying, it is my decree that 'husbandly' is a word, despite what any dictionary may say to the contrary."

Paul still has an eyebrow raised in questioning.

"Seriously, honey. It's a word."

Paul places the fried breakfast onto two plates, and Rory grabs toast from the toaster.

"Come on, chickadee," Paul says, leading Rory to the breakfast table.

"That's what you call Dani," Rory protests futilely. She sits beside her daughter and her husband places a plate before her.

"Mommy," Dani interrupts Rory before she can take a knife to her bacon. She gets out of her chair and stands beside her mother. "I'm done. Can I watch Miss Sparkles now?"

Rory observes her daughter's jam-streaked face.

"I think we need to clean your face, first," Rory states.

"No!" Dani exclaims.

"Listen to your mother, Danielle," Paul commands icily.

"Yes daddy," Dani says glumly.

Rory cannot bear this look on her daughter's face. "Why didn't you want me to help you clean your face?" she asks.

"Because I can do it myself," Dani states.

Rory is sceptical of this proclamation but decides to see what will happen anyway. "Well, all right, then. Just don't forget to show mommy when you're done."

Dani lights up. "Thanks mommy."

Dani rushes off for her first bathroom adventure by herself.

"Are you sure you should let her do that by herself?" Paul asks Rory from across the breakfast table.

"Why not?" Rory asks, slicing her bacon.

"She's only three," Paul states. "She's not tall enough to turn the taps on by herself."

"She'll manage," Rory shrugs. "She has a stool."

"What if she turns the faucets on too much and floods the bathroom?"

"I'll mop it up?"

"And if she slips and cracks open her head and dies?"

Rory glares at her husband. "Would you stop being so melodramatic, Paul? She's just gone to the bathroom to wash her face. The worst thing that's going to happen is that it's still dirty when she comes out."

Paul eyes Rory with a frown. "Sometimes I worry about your priorities, Rory."

"Excuse me? My priorities? You're the one that's away on business half the time."

"And why am I always away on business? So that we can live here, in this house."

Rory's eyes narrow. "It's not as though this place is a mansion. My salary isn't that low. Don't go playing 'I make the bigger sacrifice' with me, mister." Suddenly Rory wasn't hungry anymore.

"Sorry, alright. It's just that whenever I think about when Dani was really little."

Rory stands. "You did not just bring that up."

"Rory, honey, please. Sit down."

"No," Rory states firmly. "You cannot bring things like that up. I'm a completely different person now. I wouldn't do that."

"I know, sweetie. I know."

"Don't you be all patronising to me, Paul!" Rory points a finger at him.

"You think I'm being patronising?" Paul is furious. "It's because I'm a father. And if you were half the parent I am, you'd realise that we cannot be having this argument now."

"Not now, huh?" Rory asks. "When, then? When you make time for it in your busy schedule? Why are you home early, anyway? I was looking forward to an extra couple of days just me, and Dani."

"Excuse me for thinking my wife would be glad to see me a few days earlier because our client decided not to sue."

"Decided not to sue?" Rory queries. "Or decided to drop you as their lawyer?"

"That was below the belt," Paul's face is slowly turning red.

"Face it Paul, you're a crappy lawyer." She softens slightly, "I didn't marry you because you were a good one. I married you because I was in love with you."

"And I married you because I thought you'd support me. I guess I was wrong about that."

Rory starts to tear up. "I do support you," she states sadly.

"Maybe you did, but these days, I don't know anymore."

Tears leak from Rory's eyes. "I want to support you Paul."

"Funny way you have of showing it. I go away for less than a week and already you bring old boyfriends home."

"What?" Rory is incredulous. Where did that come from?

"Jess and I had a little talk."

"A little talk?" Rory shakes her head. "Is that why you took so long getting home? Because you were pumping him for information? And I thought you offered to take him home because otherwise he'd be walking in the rain."

"Rory," Paul begins, taking a step around the table.

"No," Rory says, holding a hand up and cradling herself with the other. "You don't have the right. It's his personal life. He doesn't have to tell you about it just because you're a little worried that your wife's been cheating on you. Do you really think I would do that?"

"I don't," Paul says quickly, taking another step forward.

"Then what, Paul? Because that's what it sounded like to me."

Paul's third step brings him right in front of Rory. She takes a step backwards. "I get insecure," he tries to shrug it off.

"Insecure, is that how you explain it? Maybe if you were around more often you'd feel secure."

"Don't you understand, Rory? It kills me to be here."

"What?" Rory is utterly confused, and heartbroken. "You hate being with me."

"That's not what I meant."

"No." Everything is suddenly clear in Rory's mind. "You do. You hate it here. That's why you're always away. I don't know why and frankly I don't care. Get out, Paul."

"You want me to get out?" Paul seems perplexed.

"You hate being here. So go away."

"It kills me to be away from you, too. Away from Dani."

"Alright, fine." Rory gathers herself and turns to leave the room.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving. You won't leave. It's clear that one of us has to go. Normal, functioning, happy couples don't have arguments like this." She shakes her head as she heads upstairs.

Paul follows. "Rory, don't go."

"I have to," she states simply as she enters their bedroom. She begins packing by grabbing an overnight bag.

"You can't go. What about Dani?"

"You said it yourself. You're a great father. You don't need me." She grabs a change of clothes from her closet and shoves them into the bag. The old, ordered Rory would never have dealt with this situation very well.

"She needs a mother."

Rory rolls her eyes to herself as she begins slipping out of her pyjamas. "I'm not going away forever."

Paul breathes a sigh of relief. "Then when are you coming back? I have to be in to work tomorrow."

Rory shrugs as she slips on a pair of jeans. "I don't know when I'll be back."

"But what am I going to do?"

Rory looks at him as she buttons her shirt. "Here's the problem. This isn't about you. My going away is all about me."

Paul opens his mouth to protest but Rory interrupts again.

"So, super-dad. Shouldn't you be seeing whether or not our daughter has cracked her skull open on the bathroom floor?"

"I'm sure she's fine," Paul dismisses her comment. "I'm more worried about you."

Rory heads into the bathroom and grabs some toiletries. Then she takes her planner from the bedside table, and grabs her purse.

"Goodbye, Paul."

He cannot think of a word to say to stop her.

She leaves the room and heads downstairs to her daughter.

"Can I watch Miss Sparkles now?" a damp, ignorant Dani asks.

"Sure, sweetie," Rory says, kneeling so that she is eye-level with her daughter. "I'm going to go away for a little while. So get daddy to put the tape in."

Dani nods, not understanding that a little while isn't going to be a twenty minute trip to the grocery store.

"I love you," Rory states, kissing her gently on the cheek. She turns away before Dani can see the tears falling down her face.

But Dani doesn't allow her mother to leave. She races after her and hugs her tightly around the waist, as though somewhere in her mind she does understand that her mother might be gone for a long time. "Bye, mommy."

"Goodbye, sweetheart."

With the innocence of her youth, Dani runs back to the living room as soon as her mother hugs her back, eager to watch a rerun of her favourite television series.

Rory heads to the garage, throws her bags onto the backseat and leaves the house. She turns a corner, pulls over and then begins to cry.

She sobs for a long while before finally composing herself, wiping the tears from her eyes. She needs somewhere to stay where she'll be accepted without question. Rory knows exactly the place, but it's going to take some time, and mental awareness, to get there.

8 8

Jess finds himself waking with the sun. He never used to be a morning person, prizing sleep far too much, but these days he finds the extra hour refreshing. It is a time for him to gather himself before facing the day. Today he really needs some gathering.

A moment later, Jess rises and heads straight for the bathroom. He showers and dresses, then thinks about breakfast. Since it's a Sunday, he has time for a fairly large and long breakfast, but Jess has never liked eating much in the morning. He has a bowl of granola and banana slices, and a glass of orange juice for extra vitamins. He heads out to retrieve the paper, then retires to his back room – an east-facing one that's always nice in the mornings. Jess reads for an hour, entertaining himself with Rory's column. She's outdone herself this week, and Jess feels just a little more cheery for having read it.

At a quarter to ten, Jess grabs his jacket from the hall closet, after carefully placing the newspaper on the coffee table in the front sitting room, and heads out. Two streets away is the local Catholic church, St Dominic's. Jess walks in and is greeted warmly by the priest.

"Good morning, Jess," the priest smiles.

Jess doesn't return the smile, but he nods politely. "Good morning, Father." Around him, various people are drifting into the church. Some people ignore Jess and the priests. Some greet the priest with a friendly hello, and then there are some who greet both the priest and Jess.

A man with greying hair and bright blue eyes in his mid-fifties greets is one such person. "Good morning Father Ryan, Jess."

Jess nods in turn. "How are you, Jake?"

"Not bad, not bad," Jake smiles.

"Well, you boys had best be getting inside," Father Ryan smiles. Jake is older than the priest by at least ten years, and Jess is not much his junior, but Father Ryan has always called the pair his boys.

"We'll see you after Mass," Jake says. He heads straight in, but Jess takes a detour, grabbing a collection plate from another friendly usher.

Jake is seated towards the front of the church, at the left, waiting for Jess. Jess blesses himself before entering, and genuflects before entering the pew. It is the usual Sunday tradition. He kneels for a moment, silently praying before the Mass begins.

After Mass, Jake and Jess greet Father Ryan again. The courtyard is now full as various families mill about, catching up with old friends.

"Good Homily today, Father," one man comments to Father Ryan, as his small son high-fives the priest.

"What did you think?" Father asks the child.

With the naivety of someone so small he asks "What's a Homily?"

The priest laughs, and leaves if for the boy's father to explain.

Jess notes that the man is having difficulty explaining this. "It's not that difficult," he comments to Jake. "It's the boring part."

Jake smirks. "I thought that was called a Mass."

"Is that really what you boys think of my sermon?" Father Ryan asks.

"We're thinking from the point of view of a small child, Father," Jake explains. "You must admit that it's more difficult to engage with what you're saying."

"Hence why they're provided with a soundproof room and a box of toys," Jess adds.

Father Ryan chuckles. "So what did you boys think?"

"You definitely bring a new perspective to the meaning of the Eucharist," Jake states.

"And managed to steer clear from the stereotypical, obvious, 'God provides', 'Love thy neighbour', 'Do unto others'," Jess adds, blandly.

The three men laugh together. It is an old joke. The first was something Father Ryan once stated as his goal for all sermons. The latter was something Jake had stated the first time he was asked about the Homily. He'd fallen asleep during it and was merely grasping at straws.

"Well," Father Ryan states. "I'll leave you boys to get some lunch. I have a Baptism to take care of."

"If you're missing a godfather," Jake jokes. "Jess is more than willing to offer his services. After all, we all know how great he is with children."

Jess doesn't find this amusing. Instead he is drawn back into thinking about yesterday when he was alone with Dani. Rory didn't seem to think he'd done too badly with her. "Goodbye Father," Jess says, shaking himself. "We'll see you next week."

"Goodbye boys," Father Ryan waves as Jess and Jake leave the courtyard.

Half an hour later, the pair are seated at a table in a small café a few streets away.

"So you ran into your old girlfriend?" Jake clarifies as Jess recounts the previous day's events.

"Yeah. And the husband wasn't too friendly. A bit overprotective, like her first boyfriend."

A spark lights in Jake's eye. "Didn't you once say you stole her away from said boyfriend?"

Jess frowns. "I have no intention of stealing her away from her husband. I haven't even thought of her in years."

"So she's not the same Rory Gilmore that writes that column you read every week?"

"How did you-?" Jess begins to ask before changing his mind. I don't want to know. It's not Gilmore anymore. It's Bancroft."

"Many women choose to change their names," Jake dismisses it, thinking the discussion over. He lifts the menu to examine their dining prospects. "I think I'll have focaccia."

Jess doesn't even pretend to see the menu. "She has a daughter. Why didn't anyone tell me that she had a daughter? Her daughter is friends with my sister."

Jake looks at Jess. This is a side of his friend that he's never seen before.

"Would you believe that Jacqui gets Dani, Rory's daughter, to call her Aunt Jacqui?"

"Aunt Jacqui?" Jake queries. "Why?"

"They're second cousins." Jess ponders this statement for a moment. "Second step-cousins? I must admit it's just the sort of thing that Jacqui would do. She _was_ raised by my mother and TJ."

"Wait a second," Jake raises a hand. "You and Rory are related?"

"Her mother is married to my uncle. I swear I told you this before. When I went to the wedding."

"That was what, ten years ago? Do you think I cared who your uncle was marrying?"

"You're right," Jess agrees. "I'm dwelling."

Jake hadn't realised that he'd made that statement. "Anyway, I take back what I said about you and her. You're related. It's gross."

Jess finally picks up the menu and a waitress approaches.

"Are you ready to order?" she asks, pen already poised over pad.

"Jess?" Jake asks, wondering if Jess wants another minute.

"You order, I'll have picked something by then."

"Okay," Jake states. "I'll have your Jet Set Focaccia, and a lemon iced tea."

The waitress nods and turns to Jess.

"I'll have a bacon, lettuce and tomato wholemeal bagel," Jess looks to the waitress for confirmation. She looks up and indicates for him to continue. "And a lemonade."

The waitress smiles. "Your drinks will be out in a moment."

Jake looks at Jess, shaking his head. "Only you would say 'bacon, lettuce and tomato' instead of BLT."

"It's what's written on the menu," Jess protests.

Jake only smirks before changing the subject.

8 8

Rory is hungry by the time she reaches her destination. It is long past her lunchtime, and she never did eat breakfast. She pulls into the driveway of the house hoping that her mother is now at home, and not still with Luke at the diner. She rings the door bell and eight-year-old Anabelle answers the door.

"Rory!" she cries excitedly, embracing her older sister.

"Hi Ana," Rory smiles, immediately calmed. "Is mom home?"

Her sister needn't reply because Lorelai wanders in from the direction of the kitchen.

"Rory," Lorelai looks at her daughter slightly worriedly. "How unexpected."

Rory is confused. Her mother is meant to greet her in much the same way as Anabelle has. "Hi mom."

Lorelai walks forward and hugs Rory gently. "Sweetheart, where's Dani?"

Rory frowns. "Where do you think she is? She's with Paul of course."

"I thought he was still away on business."

"He came back a few days early."

"Well, that's good, isn't it?"

Rory frowns. "Not really."

Lorelai notices that Ana is still in the room. "Honey, why don't you go see what your brother is doing?"

Anabelle doesn't quite understand why she is being sent away, but goes without complaint. The older, no-longer-Gilmore girls sit on the couch together. Lorelai holds her daughter's hands comfortingly.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" she asks.

"Paul and I got into another argument this morning."

"Oh honey," Lorelai is sympathetic. "What about?"

"I don't know," Rory sighs, disentangling her fingers from her mother's and leaning back against the sofa, staring at the ceiling. "It started out about Dani, and we basically covered everything." She leans forward, elbows on knees. "He hates me, mom."

"I'm sure he doesn't," Lorelai attempts to comfort her, placing an arm around Rory.

"He does," Rory insists. "He pretty much just said it to me. He says it kills him to be there, with me."

"I'm sure he didn't mean that he hates you. Probably the complete opposite. He's in a very stressful job."

"It doesn't give him the right to treat me like that," Rory states, glumly. She is the picture of pathetic.

"No, it doesn't excuse it. But it does make it more understandable. He's not perfect."

"But he's trying to be," Rory complains. "And his version of perfect definitely isn't the same as mine."

"You're different people. That's what made you guys so great together in the first place." Lorelai sat up slightly. "You're going to have to talk to him about this, you know."

Rory sighs. "I know."

"You used to try to be perfect, too."

"Yeah…" Rory trails off, then remembers a further reason to despise her husband at the moment. "He accused me of cheating on him."

"What?" Lorelai is shocked that he would think such a thing of her daughter. Abstract hate is completely different to the accusation of infidelity.

"I met up with Jess yesterday, when I took Dani to the park."

"Jess?"

"Jess Mariano."

"Jess as in Luke's nephew, Jess?"

"Yes."

"Jess as in Liz's Jess?"

"Yes!"

"Jess as in Jacqui and Brian's older half-brother Jess?"

"Yes!" Rory exclaims emphatically, exasperated by her mother's disbelief.

"Wow," she finally processes it. "So what happened?"

It didn't take long for Rory to describe her day with Jess, though once again she left out the part where she'd been asleep for nearly half an hour. It was far more pleasant to discuss her interaction with Jess. Even their argument wasn't stressing. She'd almost forgotten that it had happened.

"A bubble fight?" Lorelai's eyes are bright with mirth. "I am so going to have to tease him about that."

Rory laughs. "_If_ you see him again. He didn't seem too inclined towards seeing me again. And I know he likes me better than you."

"Well, I'll just store it in my catalogue. Or I'll get Luke to call him and make him come over."

"Paul drove Jess home last night. I'm sure he can drop you."

"That's the spirit!" Lorelai roars, raising her hands. "You just mentioned Paul subconsciously without flinching."

Rory smiles. Maybe she won't need to spend the night after all.

"This requires a celebratory coffee," Lorelai announced, rising. "To Luke's!"

Luke is pleased to see all his girls (and one of his boys) when they enter the diner, especially since Rory is smiling. Lorelai wanders over and they share a kiss over the counter before she says a word. "Hey Mr Diner Man."

"Not one of your more inane nicknames," Luke comments.

Lorelai smirks. "I thought I'd hold off just this once, sailor." She is pleased that she and Luke don't have the same problems that Rory and Paul have.

He gets two mugs for Lorelai and Rory and fills them with coffee. The four arrivals settle themselves onto the stools at the counter, Ana's favourite place to sit.

"You look happy," Luke comments. "Did you do something dirty without me?"

"Ew!" Rory covers her ears and shuts her eyes. "I did not need to hear a man in his fifties, who I consider a father by the way, say that to my mother."

Lorelai merely laughs. "I've rubbed off on you at last."

"Seriously, why are you back again so soon? You're going to spoil your appetites."

"A Gilmore may eat for twenty-four hours straight and never tire of food," Lorelai proclaims.

"I haven't eaten all day," Rory states, suddenly realising this.

Luke and Lorelai observe her worriedly.

"I walked out of breakfast then drove here."

Luke walks into the kitchen without another word and begins preparing something. It is late in the day, so Caesar has time off before the dinner rush.

"Mommy, I want a sundae," little William states.

"You know what, Liam? I think I'd like a sundae, too."

"Me too!" Ana shouts.

"Rory?" Lorelai inquires, standing ready to grab her children before they race out of the diner.

"Banana split with extra nuts," she states.

"Sure thing," Lorelai states, and takes the twins next door.

Rory plays with a napkin and sips her coffee as she waits for her food to come. She doesn't wait long.

Luke bustles back in and places a basket of fries before her. "Eat. The rest of your food'll be out in a minute."

A moment later, Luke comes out with a stack of pancakes and a cheeseburger.

"Pancakes?" Rory wonders.

"You said you missed breakfast," Luke explains.

Rory grins. "I love you."

Luke blushes and heads to the register to take the last customers' bills. Rory eats determinedly and is halfway through her lunch when Lorelai and the twins return with their sundaes.

"Oh no," Luke complains. "You are not eating those in here."

Lorelai pouts. "The shop doesn't even belong to Taylor anymore."

"No, Lorelai." Luke stays firm. "What will the other customers think?"

"There's no one here but us."

"There's Rory," Luke states. He knows he's fighting a losing battle when he's counting on Rory to back him up in an argument about food.

"Extra nuts?" Rory asks her mother.

Lorelai hands over the plastic container, complete with bright pink spoon. "Extra nuts," she nods.

Luke groans in frustration. He is even more disturbed when Rory begins to eat the dessert while the rest of her meal is unfinished. "You're eating dessert in the middle of your lunch."

"I wouldn't want it to melt," Rory offers in explanation. "And technically since I've only eaten my pancakes I'm between breakfast and lunch."

"Don't worry, Daddy," Ana comforts. "I'm eating healthy. I asked for strawberry. That's fruit."

"Your mother has taught you well." Luke shakes his head.

8 8

Jess arrives home in the afternoon at about three o'clock. After lunch, he and Jake took their usual stroll around town. Some Sundays they'd go and watch a movie. Or they'd make the drive into New York City. Today isn't one of those Sundays. Today is a laze about the house by yourself sort of Sunday, or so Jess thinks. So after their little walk, Jess heads straight home.

There is nothing on TV. Jess has lain in front of the television for about an hour, now, channel surfing. There is nothing to do but ponder life. Jess thinks about calling Luke, if only to complain that he'd seen Rory and he hadn't been informed that she had a daughter. While he did know that she lived in New York State, he'd never realised that she lived so nearby. And when Dani had first approached him, Jess might have known to be more careful, and left her, without caring if she started crying. It really bothers him when kids start crying. Not that he cares about their wellbeing or anything, it just irks him.

He decides against calling Luke. It is a stupid reason to call. Luke would only tease him about it. After all, why is he getting so worked up about seeing Rory again? Nothing has happened. And he'll probably never see her again. They've been living quite close together for at least a year, maybe more. He can't quite remember which holiday it was when Rory's movement to New Yorks had been brought up.

Ten minutes later, Jess decides that he is hungry and heads to the kitchen for a snack. Sticking his head into the refrigerator, he realises that there is nothing in there that he wants to eat. He contemplates leaving the house again for a moment before deciding against it. Rummaging through the pantry, he finds a packet of graham crackers and decides to eat them. Plain, of course.

He is seated in the kitchen when a foreign sound greets his ears. It is the doorbell. Jess hasn't heard it ring in a while. He's a fairly anti-social kind of guy. He doesn't receive packages often. But he can't forget the sound of a doorbell. Who knows how many he rang while working for Jake in his early twenties?

Curious, Jess heads toward the door. Looking through the window beside the door he discerns a male figure. Still confused, Jess opens the door. He sees that it is Paul, Rory's husband. Jess is immediately on guard and doesn't open the screen door.

"Yes?" he asks, raising and eyebrow, arms crossed over his chest.

Paul looks quite serious. "Can we come in?"

Before Jess can ask who 'we' is, Dani peeks out from behind her father. "Hi Uncle Jess!" she chirps.

Paul's look turns murderous.

Jess throws his hands up. "I swear that wasn't my idea." He unlocks the door, letting them in.

"Where's Rory?" Paul asks once he's inside.

"Rory?" Jess wonders. The man appears to have lost his wife.

"She left this morning after we had a disagreement. I rang Lane's and she wasn't there. And no one picked up at her mom's."

"Well she's not here," Jess becomes defensive. Paul probably doesn't even care where Rory is and is just tired of looking after his daughter.

Paul narrows his eyes. "Look, my wife is missing. I don't know where she is. She's never done this before. And yesterday, she was hanging out with you, which would make, you and me the last people to see her before the accident. I don't have your number, but I do know where you live. So I've come to see if you know anything about where she is. Do you?"

Jess shakes his head. "I have no idea where she is."

Paul seems to be on the verge of becoming aggressive, thinking that Jess is purposely withholding information.

"Uncle Jess," Dani interrupts, tugging his sleeve. "Can I watch Miss Sparkles?"

"I don't have any Miss Sparkles tapes," Jess states. "Sorry," he adds as an afterthought.

"That's okay!" she exclaims brightly. "Daddy put mine in the car."

"Why don't you ask your dad to get it for you, then?"

Paul and Dani head out to the car to retrieve the tape. Jess restrains himself from locking them out and calling the police. He can't do that to Dani, and most likely Paul would find some way to turn the whole thing against him. Instead, he heads to the living room to make sure that the room is presentable. It is, of course. The house is always immaculate. Jess knows he doesn't stay home enough, or have enough stuff to make a mess. And he doesn't ever have other people over who would make a mess.

Paul and Dani are back within minutes. Dani is skipping and carrying a stuffed giraffe. Mr Longneck, Jess recalls. He never did get to 'meet' the giraffe yesterday. Paul is carrying a pink backpack over one shoulder. It looks completely out of place. In fact, the very fact that he is with Dani, dressed in a bright yellow dress with white bows (akin to her mother's the day before), hair neatly brushed, but not fixed in any way, is out of place.

As though noticing that Jess' gaze has lingered on her hair, Dani asks "Can you fix my hair? Daddy can't tie bows."

Jess shrugs. "Sorry."

Dani looks put out. "Where's mommy? Daddy said she would be here. She needs to do my hair."

"She's not here," Jess tells her. "I haven't seen her since yesterday."

"Oh," Dani says. She looks as though she is about to cry. Definitely something Jess does not want to deal with.

Jess motions for Paul to hand him the bag. He does. Jess opens it and takes out the DVD, slipping it in the player.

"Cupcake," Paul says, as he settles his daughter onto Jess' couch. "Do you mind watching by yourself while Jess and I-?"

"Uncle Jess," she corrects.

Paul is obviously fighting back a complaint when he continues "Your uncle Jess and I are going to talk in the other room. Will you be okay in here?"

Dani nods enthusiastically, eyes already glued to the screen.

"The electronic babysitter," Jess notes before following Paul out of the room.

"I don't know where my wife is," Paul states glumly.

Jess is honestly concerned. He doesn't believe that Rory has gone for good, though.

"You said you called Lorelai. Did you call the diner?"

"The diner?"

The look on Paul's face tells Jess that he didn't even think of this possibility. "Luke's. A Gilmore's second home."

"I don't have the number for the diner."

"You know Rory and you don't have the number for the diner. How long have you been married?"

"Four years," Paul grumbles. "Do you have the diner number?"

Jess smirks. "Of course. Luke _is_ my uncle."

"Will you get it for me, then?"

Jess loses the smirk and heads for the phone in the kitchen. He dials as soon as he gets there. No point making Paul stick around for longer than necessary.

It rings twice before Luke picks up. "Luke's," he says into the phone. He doesn't seem his usual grumpy self.

"Hey Luke," Jess says. Paul is seething, staring at the man who just walked into his life and yet seems to know his wife better than himself.

"Oh," Luke is surprised. "Hi."

"Lorelai's there, isn't she?" Jess says, knowing that this would be the only reason why he didn't greet him with his first name.

"Yeah. You want to talk to her?"

"No," Jess said. "Is Rory there?"

Jess can almost see Luke become defensive. "Why would she be here? Why do you want to talk to her?"

"Chill, Luke. I don't want to talk to her. There's a man here. His name's Paul Bancroft, I think you know him."

"Rory!" Jess can hear Luke yelling to Rory.

He hands the phone to Paul. "She's all yours," he says, before leaving the room.

He doesn't eavesdrop on their conversation and instead goes back into the living room to see what Dani is doing. She is sitting calmly, much as she was the previous day. He sits on the couch near the end. She looks up when she feels the couch shift, and smiles when she sees that it's Jess. He sits calmly and quietly for a moment before the bright singing gets to him.

"Dani?" he asks.

The little girl turns to him. A curl of hair is covering one eye. He brushes it aside before asking "Do you mind if we turn off Miss Sparkles and we read a book instead?"

Dani's eyes light up. She remembers what she was thinking yesterday when she met Jess the first time. Now seems to be the perfect time to ask him. After all, her mommy's somewhere else. Where? "Where's my mommy, Uncle Jess?"

Jess is pleased that this time he can give her a proper answer, though he is careful not to let that show. "She's in Stars Hollow with your grandma and Luke."

"Grandpa Luke," she corrects.

"With your Grandpa Luke."

Dani is no longer worried about her mother. "Will you teach me how to read, Uncle Jess?"

"That's going to take a long time, Dani," Jess says. "And I think that's something your mom's going to want to do with you."

She pouts. "She's not here now. And I want to surprise her."

"Maybe you should ask your dad, then," Jess suggests.

"He's always busy," she complains, picking at the edge of her dress.

Jess takes the remote and turns off the television and removing the Miss Sparkles disc. "I can be busy too," Jess tells her.

"What's your job?" Dani asks.

"I'm a teacher," Jess informs her.

Her eyes widen. "I'm going to be a teacher when I grow up!"

He cannot help the lopsided smile that twists his features hearing her say that. "You might not want that by the time you get to high school."

She shakes her head. "No way." She seems to come to a realisation. "Hey, you have to teach me to read. You're a teacher."

Jess seems to realise that he's not going to able to get out of this for the moment. "Let's go get a book, then."

Dani takes his hand and he leads her to the bookshelf in the next room, a sort of study.

Dani takes one look around the room. "Those are boring books," she states.

Jess looks around taking in the titles of classics, and other adult fiction. "I guess you're right. Did your dad pack any books for you in your bag?"

Dani moves her eyes in what may have be an eye-rolling motion if she were older and had perfected the movement. "Boring books. Daddy packed books I haven't read in years."

Jess is sure this is an exaggeration as she is only three years old. He tries to think of where he could find a book to read to her. "I have more books upstairs. Just wait for me here."

"'kay," she agrees. There are many shiny things in the room to hold her interest.

Jess heads upstairs mentally preparing himself for what he is going to face. When he reaches the top of the staircase, he turns right instead of left towards his bedroom. The doors on this side of the house haven't been opened in a long time. Telling himself it's only a bedroom, Jess opens the door.

The room looks as though Jess never finished packing it up when he moved into his house. There are cardboard boxes all over the room. Some of them are open. Most of them are not. An unpainted crib sits to the left, pushed towards the side of the room, its miniature mattress leaning against it. A single white bookcase is pushed against the right wall, with two boxes stacked next to it, both just labelled 'Books'. The tape has been stripped from both, but no books are set out on the shelves.

He opens the first box and peers in at the haphazard array of books inside. He reads the titles: _Tom_ _Sawyer_, _Huckleberry Finn_, _Kidnapped!_, and _The Jungle Book_ are some of the titles he can clearly see. This is the wrong box. This contains the old books that once belonged to Jess, somehow saved by his mother and gifted back to him a few years ago when Jacqui found them in the attic of their Stars Hollow home.

Jess moves the box from the top of the second and steels himself for a moment before opening the box to confirm what he thinks is inside. The books in here appear more ordered than those in the previous box. Unlike those in the previous box, they also appear brand new. He doesn't look at them long. He knows that it is the right box, and being in this room is making him think of things he'd rather not think about.

He picks up the box and takes it downstairs to his study, where he'd left Dani. He found her sitting on the floor, legs outstretched before her with a large atlas open on her lap. Jess dumps the box of books by the door and swiftly sits besides, her, lifting the atlas from her lap onto his. She pouts at him, but he is only thinking that the book was far too large to be resting on her little legs.

"What were you looking at, Dani?" he asks, looking down to where the atlas is opened to the map of Australia.

"Where's Stars Hollow, Uncle Jess?"

Jess almost laughs, but doesn't to protect her pride. "Not on this page, Dani. This is a map of Australia. We live in America."

"Oh," her mouth hangs open in the shape of the sound.

"If we want to find something in an atlas, what we do is we look the place up in the index." He flips through to the back. "An index is a list of all the things in a book. And since this is an atlas, it's a list of all the places."

"Wow," Dani peered at the small print with all the different names. She pointed at one randomly. "What does that say?"

"Timbuktu," Jess reads. "But we're looking for Stars Hollow, which is over here. He drags her finger gently to the opposite page, and rests it on Stars Hollow, Connecticut, USA. "Then we turn to that page," he says, flicking to the appropriate one. "And there it is." He places his index finger on the dot labelled Stars Hollow.

"And where are we?" Dani inquires.

Jess moves his finger down to New York. There was most of a page separating the two.

"That's far," Dani comments.

"Not really." Jess is surprised that she understands the concept of scaling and space. "Look," he flips to the world map at the beginning of the atlas. "Stars Hollow and New York are right here. I don't even have to move my finger because it's already on both of them."

"Cool," Dani grins, staring at the page. "It always seems like Daddy goes far away on his trips."

"Then we need to find you a smaller map," Jess states.

Dani giggles, then notices the box that Jess dumped by the door. "What's in there?" she asks.

"Books," Jess states, putting the atlas back into its place before dragging the box towards Dani. He lets her open it and pull some of the books out. It is an assortment of picture books and short novels. There are some longer ones too, mostly classics.

"I like these books."

"That's great," Jess states. "Because you can have all of them."

She stops rifling through the box and looks up at him. "To keep?"

Jess nods. "Yes."

"Forever?"

He nods again.

She flings her arms around him. "Thank you Uncle Jess!"

Jess begins to regret giving them to her. But it is a good thing. He will have fewer reminders in his house, now. Though perhaps he should have asked Paul before giving them to Dani. "Pick a book and we can read it," he says.

She picks _Goodnight Moon_ from the box, and Jess puts the rest of the books back before they relocate to a couch in the study and begin reading.

Just as they finish the book, Paul shouts, looking for them.

"I think it's time for you to go home," Jess states.

Dani pouts. "But I want to read another book."

"I've given you lots of books," Jess says, taking _Goodnight Moon_ and putting it back into the box. "You can get your mommy and daddy to read them to you another time."

"If they remember," Dani pouts.

"I'll make sure they do," Jess promises, ignoring any hidden meaning behind her statement.

He picks up the box as Paul finds them.

"Come on, Dani," he says, ignoring Jess. "We're going to Stars Hollow."

"Stars Hollow?" Dani asks. "Why?"

"To go see your mommy."

Dani brightens. "Will she do my hair?"

"I'm sure she will. So come on. The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll be there."

"And I can show her all my new books!" Dani exclaims.

"New books?" Paul asks.

"Uncle Jess gave them to me." She points and Jess is remembered.

"You go get your bag, while I talk to your Uncle Jess."

"Okay," she grins, and stumbles off.

"Here," Jess says, handing Paul the box. "Kids books. She wants to read, and I had these lying around."

Paul looks in the box. "These are new."

"Yeah?" Jess wonders what Paul's point is. "Why do you have new kids books?"

Jess fumbles for a lie. "I bought them for my sister, but she'd outgrown them, or already had a copy. She doesn't like to read much, either."

"And your sister is how old?" Paul asks.

Jess is bothered by Paul's nosiness, but replies anyway. "Nine. Jacqui. You might know her."

Dani comes back in with her backpack.

"Thanks for the books, then. I guess." And with that, Paul and Dani Bancroft leave Jess's house. Never to return again.

Jess could only think good riddance.

8 8

A/N: There you go. Sighs So much drama. And I am so not good with conflict. I'm not happy with the last bit, but it's done, so we can all move on to chapter four… if only I could remember what's meant to happen in that chapter… I'll think of something, and hopefully it won't take another eight months or however long it was… I don't think it was that long yet, was it?


	4. When The Bough Breaks

Jess talks to a little girl

_Disclaimer: _This is a work of fiction based on characters from the Warner Bros. television show 'Gilmore Girls'. I don't own any of it.

_**Chapter 4 – When The Bough Breaks**_

Rory sighs as she sets the phone back on its cradle. Paul is everything she doesn't want to deal with. She doesn't want to hear him talk about her responsibilities. She doesn't want to hear him apologise for something when he doesn't even know what he did. She doesn't want the false apologies designed to cover things up. She doesn't want to say sorry, and say she'll never run off again. She doesn't want to pretend that everything is better just because she's tired of fighting.

Some time during her heated discussion Lorelai ushered her twins out of the diner with their ice cream. It is only Rory, and Luke in the back talking to Caesar. She sits back in her place in front of her melted ice cream and untouched, now cold, burger. She just wants to sit there and cry. But she won't. Because she knows that crying isn't going to help.

"Luke?" she calls, feebly.

Luke is back in the main part of the diner in an instant. "Yeah?" A troubled expression sinks into his features as he looks at her. In another instant he is around to her side of the counter and hugging her.

And even in a safe, secure pair of arms, Rory doesn't cry. "Paul's coming over with Dani later. Can he stay here? I don't want him in the house with us."

Luke finds this odd, but acquiesces anyway. "Anything you want, Rory." He then thinks about the apartment above the diner. "No one's used it in a while, though. So you might want to check it out first. Clean sheets should be in there in the cupboard next to the kitchen. And Jess' room should be locked. He still keeps all sorts of crap in there for whenever he comes up."

Rory nods. "I'm not hungry anymore. I'll go upstairs now."

"Okay," Luke says, and he removes her dishes, including the sacrilegious plastic ice cream container.

Rory grabs her purse and takes it upstairs with her. The door to the apartment is not locked, as usual. It is slightly musty up there, and Rory wonders when the last time she'd been up here was. It still looks like a bachelor pad. The couch and everything seems in place. She wanders over to open a window as it is musty. The only real indication that no one has been in here in a while. The apartment still manages to look like someone is living in it.

Rory shudders to realise that it feels like the person still living within it is Jess. There is a bent paperback abandoned in the corner of the couch. No one emptied the bin in the kitchen before they left, but luckily there is nothing growing mouldy within its depths. There is an empty beer bottle on the windowsill in the kitchen. Rory doesn't understand it, but it's there. On impulse, Rory opens the refrigerator to see what is inside. It is completely bare. Opening the freezer compartment, there are only ice cubes in the abandoned trays.

The only magnet on the fridge is a bright green frowny face. Rory wants to take it and stick it on her own fridge. So she takes it. No one will miss it. Finally she heads to the bedrooms. There's the one she will always consider Luke's. The bed's sheets are clean. She makes sure to leave the door open to indicate that this is where Paul is meant to sleep.

Rory doesn't want to go into the other bedroom. But she wants to make sure that the door is locked, like Luke said it would be. It is. And the fact that it is makes Rory wonder what's inside it. And when Luke got a lock put on it. She doesn't see it as the sort of thing he would have when Jess was still living there as a teenager. He wouldn't give a teenage Jess the ability to lock him out. As much as Luke wanted to trust his nephew, he couldn't.

Satisfied that the apartment is in fact inhabitable, Rory leaves, hoping to mentally prepare herself for Paul's arrival. She heads to the gazebo, first. But Kirk walks and attempts to engage Rory in conversation. And then Babette. Who of course would not leave until she had a complete explanation as to why Rory was back in town. And back in town, alone, in the gazebo.

Rory realises that the gazebo wasn't the most intelligent choice to make when it came to looking for a quiet place to reflect. She wanders to the bridge instead, the only place where she has ever been able to find that peace of mind. She lays down on the bridge, and wonders what she will say to Paul when he arrives.

What he'd said that morning was hurtful. He brought up things that she thought he no longer blamed her for. He brought up that period of her life where things were less than stellar. She'd had therapy since then. She'd moved on. She thought he agreed that she had moved on. Rory hadn't done anything similar since.

She hated that he made her feel this way. He made her feel this way all the time. As though he was the greatest thing on earth, and she was scum. As though he was doing her a favour by still being with her. By loving her.

Rory loved him. But she didn't know if she'd be able to deal with this behaviour for much longer. Didn't he see that she didn't care that he was a crap lawyer? Didn't he see that she didn't care that they had the best of everything in the house? She and her mother had always had enough, and that was plenty for her. It would be plenty for Dani as well. She'd rather he was home more often. So that they didn't suffer from this stupid miscommunications. Maybe if they could talk more then she would have brought up Jess by now. Maybe they even might have met at some point… though this was unlikely as even through all their knowledge of so many of the same people, she hadn't seen him in ten years.

And they'd argued over Jess. Jess was such a non-factor in anything. So what if she'd met an old boyfriend once? Did it really matter that she was adamant that he not go home in the rain? She would have done the same for anyone else.

In the beginning he'd seemed so perfect.

If he'd only let her move to Stars Hollow like she'd wanted to.

And finally it dawns on Rory. She was the one who made all the sacrifices in this relationship. Sure, he made sacrifices. But they never discussed those beforehand. She never asked him to make them. Half the time, she wasn't even sure she wanted him to make them. And the other half of the time, she knew she didn't want him to make them.

She wasn't doing him a favour by loving him. She was doing him a favour by letting him treat him like he did.

She knew what he was doing. And she wasn't going to take it anymore.

8 8

It is the middle of the afternoon and Jess is bored. He has no desire to leave the house, no desire for conversation. There is nothing good on the television. Even the latest novel he has purchased not two days ago seems beyond his interest. As a result, he is currently cleaning his house. The mind-numbing activities involved in making sure that his house looks exactly the same every day are calming on the mind. If he does them right, he doesn't even need to think.

But he does. It was stupid of him to think that Rory would drift back out of his life as suddenly as she came into it. The whole debacle this afternoon proves that Rory Gilmore will not just go away. He wants her to go away. He doesn't like the idea that she is going to be there every time he decides to visit Luke in Stars Hollow. He doesn't like the idea that after managing to avoid her for so long she comes back in almost as though she never left him. As though he had never left.

And then there was Paul. Irritating prick of a man. Prick. What a word. And yet, it seemed to be the right one to describe him. He couldn't really say that he was a bastard quite yet. He didn't know enough of the story. And the idea that Paul could be worse than a bastard… It doesn't settle well with Jess and he resolves to leave those feelings alone.

He also resolves to rid himself of the urge to pick up the phone and call Luke's. To see if Paul and Dani have arrived yet. And to see how Rory is doing. But he can't. Even if he knew how to disguise his query as merely that of a concerned friend- What was he thinking? He _was_ just a concerned friend. And Rory was, in a way, part of his family. It seemed such a long time ago that it was just him and his mother. When he knew no other family. Where Luke was merely some phantom uncle. Where he had never heard of Stars Hollow.

Jess finishes with the vacuum cleaner and returns it to its place beneath the stairs. He thinks about dusting then decides that he'd be better off re-marking the ninth grade assignments he has to hand back tomorrow.

An hour or so later, Jess has not managed to spot any more grammatical errors other than those he's already found. The doorbell rings. Jess hopes it isn't Paul back again. Jess imagines the man having gotten halfway to Stars Hollow, getting lost and coming back. He smirks at the thought. The person at the door is Gary.

Jess no longer remembers when he first met Gary. It was some time during their childhood. Jess basically forgot him the first couple of times they ran into each other. But Gary was one of those people who was very good with placing faces to names. He couldn't let Jess forget him.

Gary is a native New Yorker, like Jess, but he still lives in the city, not far from the neighbourhood where he'd grown up. He is an eccentric sort, coming and going as he pleases. He is technically the head chef of a restaurant in Queens, but rarely sets foot inside except to determine the new menu each season. The rest of the time he travels the world testing and tasting. Jess has no idea how the manager and sous chef put up with Gary, but he suspects it has something to do with the fact that his food is delicious.

Jess opens the door for Gary and realises that he is carry two large paper bags filled with what seems to be produce.

"My stove broke," Gary states, and pushes past Jess, straight toward the kitchen.

"What?" Jess asks. "And you couldn't get it fixed?"

Gary shrugs and starts unloading his groceries onto the counter.

"And the restaurant, you couldn't go there?"

Gary merely looks at Jess as though wondering why he's protesting.

"I know you have other friends."

"What's your deal?" Gary asks, placing a few groceries in the refrigerator.

It is Jess' turn to answer a question with silence.

"Hey, I thought you'd be pleased. It's not every day a Michelin star chef turns up at your house offering to cook you a gourmet meal free of charge."

Jess finally gives up (as if he had a chance, anyway) and sits on a bar stool at the counter.

"So, why aren't you pleased to see me?" Gary asks while looking for a saucepan in a low cupboard.

"Because I know I'm going to have to clean your crap up when you're done here," Jess retorts.

"True," Gary shrugs. "But that ain't it."

"Lousy couple of days," Jess states.

"Lousy how?" Gary asks.

"Lousy like an ex-girlfriend and her entire family coming storming back into your life."

"Marilyn?" Gary inquires carefully.

Jess is momentarily taken aback by the mention of her name. Something about this day is bringing up things Jess would rather forget. "No. Rory."

"Rory?"

Jess remembers that he has never bothered with the whole story regarding Rory. Stars Hollow and Rory all occurred during a period where Jess hadn't seen Gary in years. He'd last met him at thirteen, then at twenty-two.

"Rory Gilmore," Jess states. "The first love of my life."

"Ouch," Gary sympathises. "I know the first couple times I ran into Mariella it was like that heart break all over again. She was perfect, but I can live without her."

"Yeah," Jess agrees. "But I wish she'd stop acting like she can't live without me."

"Still wants some Mariano action, huh?" Gary asks rhetorically while chopping some vegetables. "Who could blame her?"

"It's not like that," Jess protests. "I met her daughter and her husband yesterday. I think she kind of knows to stay away, but those two don't."

"Well," Gary says, tipping the vegetables into his pot of boiling water. "If you're as friendly to them as you are to me, I don't see why they'd keep coming back."

Jess glares at him even though he knows it's true. His gruff exterior keeps a lot of people away. "I've seen them twice in the past two days. Isn't that a bit overzealous?"

"Maybe," Gary states, pulling a tray from a cupboard. "Or maybe you're overreacting."

Jess watches as Gary removes some spices from his pantry. "Is it just me, or do you know your way around my kitchen better than I do?"

Gary chuckles heartily. "Good memory for things."

"That you do have," Jess concedes. "You've only been here like twice before. That's actually a lot, considering it's you."

"What can I say? Your house is charming."

"So, why are you here, anyway?"

"Didn't I tell you about the broken stove?"

"I'm not buying it," Jess frowns, crossing his arms over his chest. "Knowing you you'd probably use the barbeque in some quirky way and turn a culinary nightmare into a masterpiece."

"You overestimate my genius." Gary removes the meat from the refrigerator and begins doing something to it with his knife. "The BBQ was out of gas."

"And you couldn't just buy some more?" Jess continues his interrogation.

"At this time of night?"

"It's barely six."

"On a Sunday."

Jess only gives him a stare.

Gary throws his hands up theatrically. "Selina kicked me out."

"Selina kicked you out," Jess repeats.

"Don't make me say it again," Gary frowns, waving his knife in Jess' face.

"Put that down," Jess says, uncomfortable with the sharp instrument flapping in front of his face.

Gary nurses the knife, running a finger down the blade. "This is a good knife. And the blade's actually sharp."

"Whadda ya know? I'm good for something." Jess says sarcastically.

As if sensing that Jess isn't going tolerate his deviation from the point much longer, Gary volunteers more information about his fight with Selina, his wife. "She thinks I'm sleeping with another woman."

"Are you sleeping with another woman?" Jess asks.

"No!" Gary is offended. "Would I do that?"

Jess thinks for a moment, and Gary smacks him. "No," Jess replies honestly. "You wouldn't. If you were the kind of guy to do it, you'd have done it by now. All that time gallivanting around the world, you had plenty of opportunity for her not to find out about it."

"I know that if she just calms down and thinks it through rationally she'll come to the same conclusion. In the meantime, I need to hide out."

"I have a spare bedroom if you need to spend the night."

"I shouldn't need it."

Gary finishes preparing the meat in silence, places it onto the tray, then into the pre-heated oven.

"So how's work?" Gary asks Jess, and the two men begin a conversation encompassing everything but their love lives.

8 8

Rory knows she isn't going to take it anymore… though 'it' is still largely undefined. 'It' was basically, everything that had anything to do with Paul. She knows this, but maybe the banishment of 'it' could wait until tomorrow.

She is waiting for Paul and Dani in the diner, sitting at the counter, setting up the goals for a game of bagel hockey against her mother. The twins are sitting in a booth at the back, colouring in and drawing. Somewhere along the line, it has become the kids' designated booth. Napkin holders and sauce bottles no longer took pride of place on the table's surface. Instead, a stack of colouring books, a jar of pencils, crayons and markers, construction paper, plain white paper and safety scissors and glue rested on the table. It always reminds Rory of Paris' craft corner, back in their old dorm at Yale. And of course, every instrument has been lovingly decorated with sparkles and feathers, courtesy of the mother.

Rory loses the first game of bagel hockey. Lorelai cheers triumphantly, takes a victory lap around the room, then challenges Rory to round two. Rory loses the second game. Lorelai's victory, though, seems less sweet this time.

"What's wrong, hun?" Lorelai asks.

Rory looks up. "Nothing."

"I thought you sorted everything out with Paul," Lorelai states.

Rory averts her gaze. "I thought it was sorted. But when I went to the bridge to think about it, I realise that it's not. It's not." She shakes her head, but refuses to cry. Her husband will be here any minute now, and she needs to present a brave front. A cool, calm, collected, 'don't mess with me' front.

"Oh Rory," Lorelai sighs, hugging her daughter. She hates seeing her daughter like this.

"We're going to get a divorce," she confesses.

"What?" Lorelai exclaims. "A divorce? But surely there are things you can try. Counselling? Yoga? Colonics?"

Rory is shocked. "Mom! Ew!"

Lorelai gives her a look.

"There are things we can try. And I guess we probably will. Except for the colonic." She sees the look on her mother's face. "Maybe." She moves on. "But I don't think it will help."

"The colonic? Because I've heard that not only do they-"

"Too much information!" Rory buries her face in her hands. "Not just that. Any of it. All of it."

"How can you be so sure, honey?"

Rory plays with the salt shaker that formed one of her goalposts. "We've been having counselling for a while now, mom." She can't make eye contact. She hates that she's been hiding this from her mother. But her mother loves Paul… though, her mother loved Dean, too, and look where that got her.

Lorelai's face is sad. "I can't believe you didn't tell me," she breathed.

"I," she picks at a fingernail. "I didn't want to admit that anything was wrong.

"All counselling seems to do is make me see all the reasons why we shouldn't be together. It makes me understand why it's not working, doesn't seem to help solve anything."

"How long is a while?"

"Almost a year?"

"Oh, Rory," Lorelai breathes again, and hugs her daughter.

And it is at that moment that the bell above the diner door rings, and Paul, carrying a sleepy Dani comes in.

Rory cannot help but smile at the sight of her daughter, even if she is in the arms to the man she hopes to very soon be estranged from. She stands and Paul wordlessly hands Dani to her. He heads back outside and Rory, sits down with Dani on her lap.

"Hey sweetie," she says, lovingly.

Dani's eyes open and she recognises her mother. "Mommy!" Suddenly she is wide awake. "I had the best day with Uncle Jess today."

Jess… Rory had forgotten about him. "Did you really?"

"Yeah. We watched Miss Sparkles, and then he showed me where Stars Hollow is and he read me a story."

"That was nice of him, wasn't it?"

"Uh-huh. Uncle Jess is funny."

"Is he?"

"Yeah. He pretends to be all mean and grumpy but he's real nice."

"Well, shh," Rory says, placing a finger to her lips. "He doesn't like people to know that. Let's keep it a secret, okay?"

Dani giggles. "Okay."

Rory looks at her daughter and tucks Dani's hair behind her ears.

Dani shakes it loose. "I don't like it like that. Can you put it in piggy tails, mommy? Daddy can't do it, and neither can Uncle Jess."

Rory smiles at the thought of Jess attempting to tie Dani's hair. Paul wordlessly hands her Dani's bag, then sits at the counter, attempting awkward conversation with Luke.

There is relative calm as Rory ties Dani's hair neatly. But there is tension as soon as Rory returns from setting Dani with Liam and Ana.

"Why are we here, Rory?" Paul asks.

"We had an argument this morning, Paul. Or did you forget that?"

Lorelai and Luke discreetly move away to give pair the appearance of privacy. Both are still close enough to hear what is being said.

"But you didn't have to run away. At least, not this far away."

"You don't understand, Paul. I needed some space."

"And you couldn't be bothered to let me know?" He paused. "And what's this about needing space, anyway? You complain that I'm off on business too much, then when I actually am here it's inconvenient for you? God Rory, you're so self-centred."

"Maybe I am. Is that so wrong? You're not paying attention to me or Dani, so I might as well look after myself. You weren't meant to be back until tomorrow. That means that your arrival was unexpected. That means that I wasn't mentally prepared. I like to plan things. You being early threw things off."

"Excuse me for wanting a little spontaneity."

"Spontaneity my ass," Rory spits, shocking Lorelai and Luke. "You got dropped from your case because you're a crummy lawyer and you won't admit it."

"I am not. I happen to be underappreciated."

Rory rolls her eyes. "I'm sick of this, Paul. I'm sick of you not having the guts to tell me things. I'm sick of you trying to hide things from me. I'm tired of you and me, and trying and it not working, again and again."

"What are you saying? Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Yes, Paul. Unless you're too damned thick to understand: I Want A Divorce."

He looks at her with pure venom in his gaze. "Have your divorce, then. See if I care. But there's no way in hell you're taking my daughter."

8 8

Dinner at Jess' place was a peaceful affair. Gary had cooked a multitude of dishes, all of which were delicious. For dessert, Gary had attempted to wean Jess off his like of ice cream in cones with ice cream in waffle baskets instead. There was something so much simpler about sugar cones from a supermarket box, though.

Gary left as Jess began washing up. He finished washing and is just about ready for bed when there is an insistent banging on his front door. It is Gary, back again. Jess doesn't need to ask when he sees the stricken look on his friend's face. Wordlessly he lets him in and leads him to the guest bedroom.

A/N: Interestingly enough, I hadn't actually planned for the divorce to come out this early in the story. But hey, it's one of my major plot points, so I figured that now was as good a time as any. Otherwise there'd be a lot of waffle. Though it'd be happy waffle, and now it's mostly drama. What a bother.

FYI, I have no idea what Gary cooked for dinner, but I'm sure it tasted delicious.


	5. A Day In The Life

Jess talks to a little girl 

_Disclaimer: _This is a work of fiction based on characters from the Warner Bros. television show 'Gilmore Girls'. I don't own any of it.

To the readers: Oh, I forgot that you're all Lit fans and that's the only reason why you're reading this story. But, a little Lit absence makes the heart grow fonder. Remember they've met for the first time ten years. They have different friends, different people that they trust. They're only really going to go to each other if they randomly bump into each other, or something happens. But they will bump into each other, and something will happen. )

Special thanks goes to _cmtaylor531_, _Fickle Sobriquet_, _music4mysoul_, and _Elizabeth Theresa_ for reviewing even after the last chapter had been out a while.

And thanks to everyone else for getting me over the 100 review mark for the first time ever. You're legends. And sorry, but half of this chapter sucks. This is one of those time passing, letting you see their lives kind of chapters. The sort of chapter that are a necessary evil.

**_Chapter 5 – A Day In The Life_**

Jess awakes to the smell of pancakes frying. The smell is familiar, but he hasn't smelt it since living with Luke during the diner days. It's Gary, he realises. It's Monday, at six thirty in the morning and someone is cooking breakfast. Jess finds it strangely unnerving and realises that Gary must be feeling particularly bad about his situation with his wife. He dresses and heads downstairs to see how Gary's doing.

Gary is not dressed. He is wearing one of Jess' bathrobes, so it's too small on him, exposing a large amount of chest, and is tight on the arms. It is also short and Jess hopes desperately that he is wearing underwear underneath it, as it's fairly obvious he's not wearing anything other than that.

Jess stares. "I never said you could borrow my clothes." The sight is disturbing. Jess makes a note of which bathrobe it is, and to burn it.

Gary ignores his comment. "I know you leave early, so I thought I'd make breakfast."

Jess decides not to tease about the bathrobe, and instead moves onto a more serious topic. "It's pretty bad, isn't it?" Cooking, for Gary, is also a form of stress relief.

Gary knows exactly what he's talking about. "She had her girlfriends over while I was gone. Seems like they convinced her that I was scum and not to hear me out."

Jess once again takes a seat on one of his barstools. "Women," he mutters.

Gary places a stack on pancakes in front of him. He then places butter and a knife by him. "Maple syrup?" he asks.

Jess nods. "What made her think you were having an affair in the first place?" he asks as he begins buttering his pancakes.

Gary stops what he's doing and looks at Jess. "I'm away so often. I think she's the one having an affair and she's trying to justify it by saying I did the same."

"So you haven't done anything at all?" Jess asks. He finds this difficult to believe.

Gary sighs guiltily. "Julianne, my sous chef at the restaurant. I spend a lot of time with her. I trust her. I talk about her a lot. You can understand, she works for me. She does everything I'm supposed to do."

Jess understands. "But there's nothing going on?"

"There might be a little one-sided attraction."

"But you don't like her."

"No," Gary shakes his head.

Jess is placated for the moment, and they finish breakfast in silence.

8 8

Rory awakes in her room in her mother's house. She stares at the ceiling feeling utterly depressed. Paul is going to take her daughter away from her.

She thinks back to last night. It was a drama. As soon as Paul said he'd be taking Dani they'd both sprinted towards her. Dani, realising that she'd spent all day with her dad decided to go with Rory. Rory hates that she has to make her daughter decide. She hates that although she's won a battle, she needs to win the war.

Rory gets up and heads to her sister's room to check up on her daughter. She is startled to find it empty, then realises that there is a commotion in the kitchen. When she gets there, she sees that the kids are squirting all manner of unhealthy toppings Luke would not approve of over waffles. Her mother is overseeing, while topping a waffle of her own with whipped cream.

"Mommy! Look at mine!" Dani exclaims, holding her plate up. It is an artistic mess of chocolate sauce, sprinkles, strawberry-flavoured topping and mini-marshmallows.

Rory sits beside her and compliments all the kids' artwork. "Where can I get a blank canvas?"

As though on command, the toaster pops and Lorelai retrieves two waffles, placing them on a plate in front of her oldest daughter. "There you are, hun."

Rory grins, determining that right now she is not going to think about Paul. She is going to enjoy her time with her daughter, and will think about the nasty side of getting divorced tomorrow.

They decorate and eat waffles until the kids are too full to move and it's nearly lunchtime. Rory takes Dani to have a bath, while Lorelai and her siblings clean up. She listens to what Aunty Ana and Grandma Lorelai did with her before she came down for breakfast. It's peaceful, but Rory cannot help but feel that it's just the calm before the storm.

8 8

Jess rushes off quickly after breakfast, warning his friend to keep out of the kitchen, and not to wallow. He promises Gary a night of drinking if he behaves, even if it is a school night.

Richards High School is not far from where Jess lives, but he avoids walking to avoid the students. He knows for a fact that two families with kids at his high school live on his street. He is also thankful that they don't often terrorise his house, beyond Halloween and the last days of school. He can live with that. And nothing is so satisfying as catching the kids and making them clean his front lawn. And he always gets them.

He smirks as he pulls into the parking lot and heads to his office. He shares it with the other language teachers, but he is the only Latin teacher, as well as being the only male teacher in the department. Along the way, he greets his fellow teachers and basically ignores the students. He makes sure to avoid a certain corridor where some of his over-zealous female students are known to meet up before school. He is almost knocked over by a couple of kids on skateboards. This is unusual in the exclusive private school. Jess turns to see who they are, but doesn't recognise them.

"Stop!" he calls after them. It is too late, though, they turn the corner and Jess will not risk his dignity by chasing after them. They're lucky he doesn't know their names. He knows very few of the names of the students who don't study a language.

The rest of the journey to his office is unremarkable. At his desk he unpacks last night's marked papers from his leather laptop bag (though he's too much of a luddite to actually carry a laptop). While most of the teachers insist upon online submissions and things like that, Jess was old-fashioned, insisting that none of his submissions be typed. He liked trying to decipher the chicken scratches most of them used. Felt pride when he noticed their writing improving along with their grasp of Latin, and he got to know them a little better through their scrawl.

His first class is at ten. His tenth grade class. Latin wasn't a very popular language, so he only has one class in each grade, making him a somewhat part-time teacher. With a full-time salary, he smirks as he traverses the hallways. The worst part of his job was the considerable walk between his office and his classroom. By some twist of fate, and being one of the marginalised teachers, he ended up walking the entire distance of the school between classes. When he had two in a row (like this morning), he made sure to bring everything he needed with him. And if he forgot something, he usually made one of his students get it for him. Power was good.

"Good morning," he greets in Latin. There are a few scattered greetings in return, not all of them in Latin.

He is distracted. The past hour he spent drinking the instant coffee that was provided to the teachers in their offices. He doesn't even like coffee, and he's never drunk that much before. Not in one sitting.

"Pop quiz," he states, ignoring the collective groans. "This'll be worth two percent of your grade. We're going to go around the room and everyone has to tell me what they did over the weekend. Or lie. I wouldn't know. Bonus marks if you answer any questions I have for you."

"But Mr M," one girl in the middle of the room complains. "We're so unprepared."

Jess does not succumb to the blatant use of his nickname. "So I guess we weren't talking about hobbies and tenses last week? My mistake. We must have been talking about the geography of the moon. One minute on that instead, then."

The class collectively roll their eyes, and their teacher hides a smirk.

"Who wants to go first? Get it over with?" He scans the room for a volunteer. "Melanie?"

A girl of African-American descent on the left side of the room looks up from her binder. She is a studious girl, who usually doesn't mind volunteering answers, but this time she looks up with an uncharacteristic smirk on her face. "Sure, Mr M. But only if you tell us about your weekend."

Jess is not thrown off. "That's off limits. But I will offer the class the rest of the period for private study in the library, once you've finished your little spiel."

"I just want to know who the woman you were at the park with is," Melanie states, faux innocently.

Jess pales just enough for it to be noticeable to the girls in the front row who he knows have schoolgirl crushes on him. He smirks, though. "That's most definitely off limits, Melanie."

She shrugs in response, but obligingly begins relating an account of her weekend at her cousins' place.

When she is finished, he nods and places a two next to her name. Then asks for a second volunteer.

"Wait," Melanie says. "You didn't ask me a question."

"You asked enough for both of us," Jess responds. She frowns huffily, but begins packing her things to leave the room. He knows that it's highly unlikely that the students actually end up at the library once they've left his room, but for him, duty of care only extends so far. And that distance was only to the doorway.

The rest of the day passes with only a few more comments from the students. Rumours spread quickly through the school, like in every other high school. He wonders how, with all their own dramas (Emmet Robbins dumped April Marsh on Saturday! But omigod they'd been going out since ninth!) and their television dramas (And then he just pulls out this gun and he shoots her, right in the middle of the school!), they still have time to ponder the love lives (or lack thereof) of their teachers.

Jess is home by four o'clock, and Gary is nowhere to be seen. He surveys the kitchen, and it looks untouched. Breakfast dishes are still sitting in the sink. This annoys Jess mildly, though he should have been the one to wash them this morning.

When he is finished with the dishes, he's had enough time to start worrying about Gary. He knows that Gary needs to sort things out himself, so he only hopes that his friend will be back in time to cook them dinner before drinking. Having him cook two meals has already left Jess lazy.

Gary is back at six o'clock and begins cooking dinner with no hesitation. Jess takes up his post on a barstool with tomorrow's lesson plans. Gary begins his story with no prompting as he chops.

"I tried to see Lina again today."

Jess looks up. "You didn't."

Gary gives him a pained look. He loves the woman, and he'll do anything to get her back, even if she did accuse him of something he didn't do. Really, Jess thinks, Gary should be getting indignant and thinking of leaving her. He himself has never felt that for anyone. He guesses it's one of the reasons why he's never married.

"She threatened to call the cops on me."

Jess only nods to show that he is listening.

"So I left. I think I walked the entire way here."

Jess once again looks up. "And you don't look tired at all."

"So maybe there were a couple cabs involved."

"Just hurry up and make dinner so we can take this show on the road, and drink our troubles away."

"You've got troubles?"

"Course," Jess replies. "You think I'm in this just for you?"

"A guy can hope," Gary thinks. "Lord knows I've not been the only man in anyone's life in a while."

Jess evaluates at him. "Screw dinner. Let's go." He gathers his papers together to put them away.

Gary only ponders this for a split second before leaving his knife on the chopping board and wiping his hands on the tea towel hanging from his apron.

Jess gets up to leave the room, then turns back and seems to see the mess Gary has made in his kitchen. "Hang on, that's all got to be cleaned up first."

It's nearly an hour later when Jess and Gary finally find themselves in a local bar. There are few people there, since it's a Monday night, but enough for the two to not feel completely alone. They're eating greasy chilli fries and their first schooners of the night are almost drained despite the fact they've barely been there long enough.

Jess chugs the last quarter of his beer, and slams it down, signalling for another.

"So, your troubles my friend?"

Jess laughs. "Are you sure that's your first beer? You talk odd, but not that odd."

Gary shrugs. "You going to spill or not?"

"My classes know about Rory. One of them's probably followed me here tonight and this'll be all over the school by tomorrow morning."

"Boy, you got nothing."

"Maybe you're right. It's not like I ever cared what anyone thought about me before."

"Still, you don't want parents complaining. You'll be out of a job."

"Well, they're not going to find out about this, the kids'd be stupid to let their parents know they trailed their teacher to a place like this."

Gary laughs. "I was probably the kid stupid enough to do that."

A waitress brings them their refills, flirting casually with the pair before heading to the next table.

Jess looks at her out of the corner of his eye. "What would you rate her?"

"Rate her?" Gary looks offended and demoralised by the idea. "She's nothing compared to Lina."

"You've got it bad," Jess shakes his head.

"You used to think that was a good thing."

Silence weighs heavily between them after that, and though they've only had two drinks each, they come to an unspoken agreement to leave.

8 8

She looks down at the address on the slip of paper she has in her hand. She eyes the building, willing it to tell her that it's the right one. Or at least, the wrong one. Something, anything would do. Sighing, she looks at the sign on the door and actually reads it, no longer putting off the inevitable. The doors slide open automatically as she approaches and she wonders why they bother to have anything on the glass doors at all. After all, who could read it? Someone with very good eyes, that's who.

Rory tells her name to the receptionist, and that she's here to see Mr Donaldson. The receptionist nods and tells her to go up to the tenth floor. As she stares at her reflection in the mirrored walls of the lift, she prepares what she is going to say to him. Her grandmother recommended him after the initial surprise and disdain for the dissolution of marriage. But Emily Gilmore had never liked Paul, anyway, so gaining her approval was not that difficult.

His secretary lets Rory in soon after she arrives. Mr Donaldson has been waiting for her.

Rory barely pays attention to Mr Donaldson's queries about her life and her daughter. About what she wants from her husband. About all the little things she barely remembers in the pre-nuptial agreement. All she can think about, as his legal jargon washes over her, is that she is getting a divorce. She will no longer have a husband. No more late night worries, no more arguments over meaningless things, no more wondering why you were waking up alone for the seventh time that week… no more Paul.

"Ms Bancroft?" Mr Donaldson's voice arrives at the forefront of her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"It says here, in your pre-nup, that you'd share custody of any children you had. But I understand you want full custody of Danielle?"

"That's right," Rory nodded. "He's hardly been in her life anyway, I don't think he has a right to continue to pretend to be her father."

Mr Donaldson nods. He doesn't need to hear an explanation. He's heard them all before. And no matter what they say, they're always doing it for the same reason: to see the other partner suffer. "That might be a problem. I'm going to need a very clear idea of why your husband doesn't deserve your daughter. I will also need to know of any reasons why he might think that you don't deserve your daughter."

Reasons why she doesn't deserve her daughter? There weren't many of those, as far as she could tell. People were always telling her how good she was with her daughter.

"No, nothing."

"Ms Bancroft," Mr Donaldson fixes her with a stern look. "It will do you no good to hide these things from me."

Well, there was that one thing.

Rory squirms under his gaze. It was a horrible moment in her past. She isn't like that anymore.

"I will find out eventually, Rory," Mr Donaldson says gently.

She softens at his usage of her first name. It has made it seem less stuffy in his office all at once. Somewhere in the back of her journalistic mind she wonders if he's manipulating her, or if this goes beyond the boundaries of their professional relationship. She dismisses this thought as over-thinking. All part of her unwillingness to answer the question.

"I had a bout of post-natal depression after I had Dani," she finally admits, burying her face in her hands. "Paul wasn't around much then, when I think about it. I think he'd just gotten his job. I was left with a baby, that I thought I'd be able to take care of, but then realised I had no idea. What Paul will tell anyone is that he once found Dani in our pantry." She sighs, and twists her fingers together in her lap. "I was so guilty afterwards. Once I'd gotten over it." She takes a deep breath and attempts to still her trembling digits.

"It doesn't make any sense, you know? But I did it. But I nothing else has happened in the past two years. And Paul must have learned to trust me, since he still goes off all the time. Even if there was that stint when he stayed home after that."

Her voice begins to shake. She's going to cry in a minute. And she doesn't want to break down in front of her lawyer. "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave."

With that statement, Rory dashes from the room and Mr Donaldson calmly turns to his next case.

8 8

A/N: I have an ability to expound upon things that don't matter. Ignore anything that doesn't seem relevant. It's there because it amuses me. Action picks up next chapter, and yes, that includes Lit action.

Oh yes, and having never been through a divorce myself (and not being the sort of person that watches lawyer dramas) I don't know much about the process. So I'm making it all up and hopefully it doesn't detract from your reading experience. If it does, obviously you must know something about it, so feel free to offer me some help on the matter. Actually the same goes for everything. Complain wherever you like, be warned, I might ask you to help me.


	6. Just Forget About It

Jess talks to a little girl 

_Disclaimer: _This is a work of fiction based on characters from the Warner Bros. television show 'Gilmore Girls'. I don't own any of it.

Thanks to LadyChicago for the divorce/custody info. And as always, thanks to the other reviewers, who are always this niggling presence in the back of my mind urging me to write on.

Continuity Note: You might be wondering how this fits into the Gilmore-verse. As I recall it veers off somewhere after season five… I think. Roughly speaking. It's all mushed into one big season.

**_Chapter 6 – Just Forget About It_**

It's just after three and Jess is in New York City looking for a new bookstore one of the other teachers told him about. Earlier that day he spent with his senior class at a museum, but it was after school, and he'd just dismissed them to gallivant about the city causing mayhem. It seems unlikely that they will head straight home as they are supposed to.

As Jess travels down the street, he thinks it seems to be an odd place for a bookshop. Most of the buildings are classy offices. Law firms, accounting firms, other firms. Places that don't call themselves "businesses" even if that's what they are. It is in front of one such firm that he sees Rory. Or at least, a distraught woman who looks a lot like his high school girlfriend.

"Rory?" he asks the blue coat that the woman's face is buried in.

Her brown head rises and bright blue eyes lock with Jess'. "Jess?"

He can see the tears filling her eyes that have already left damp trails down her cheeks. He is not surprised, but is a little uncomfortable when Rory suddenly latches onto him. He pats her back in an attempt at comforting her. "What's wrong?"

"Everything," Rory mutters into his coat, clutching the fabric under her knuckles tightly.

They stand there for a moment or two before a biting wind springs up, further chilling their exposed faces. "As much as I love being this close to a beautiful woman," Jess jokes. "I'd really like to take this somewhere less… arctic."

She smiles at him, feeling better already. "As long as there's coffee."

"I was actually looking for a bookstore," Jess comments. "One of the English teachers recommended it during the last staff meeting."

Rory's smile widens. It would be nice to get away for a while. "We could still go there," she says. "As long as there's coffee," she reiterates. A good book just isn't the same without a steaming mug of the stuff.

Jess rolls his eyes and they begin walking down the street. They can't seem to find the phantom bookshop, though. When Jess gives Rory the address, she immediately discovers that he must have walked past it before they met up. Smacking him on the shoulder for being such an idiot she quickly stalks back up the street in the direction from which they came.

Jess follows at a more leisurely pace, but never more than a couple of paces behind her. He is confused when she ducks to the left, down a flight of stairs he doesn't remember noticing, and realises that it must be the bookstore he couldn't find. Why hadn't Sharla mentioned anything about that? He supposed it might have been some special female thing that made them see this bookshop. It was obviously sexist. A karmic response to that unknown crime one man committed so long ago that it is not written into any history book, but imprinted on the X chromosome. The thing that makes women think men are idiots, and the thing that makes men realise that they must be being punished for something.

Jess feels that this bookstore is getting to him more than it should be, and follows in Rory's footsteps.

In his hesitation Jess has lost a moment, and already Rory has a stack of books in her arms as she casually peruses an aisle. His footsteps on the wooden floor alert her to his presence, and Rory smiles at him. "This place is amazing."

In the two seconds that Jess has had to look at a shelf, he finds himself agreeing. It's filled with the old classics. The novels that everyone has read. But it isn't that that makes the little store amazing. It's the sheer amount of life that seems to be wafting off the shelves. In her arms Rory is holding memories of people past. Not all of them are good, not all of them are bad, but just by holding them and reading them you somehow feel more enriched.

"I know what Sharla meant when she said there were no words to describe it," Jess states. "And that woman talks more than you do. Her vocabulary's probably bigger than yours too, impossible as it may seem."

"I have to meet this woman," Rory states, adding another book to her stack.

"If you must," Jess goes along with it. Something about this second meeting is different to the first. The first was slightly awkward, they didn't know each other. Now it's as though they're even closer than they were when they were together all those years ago. Like they've grown up together without growing up together.

Jess turns to the shelves, and they browse silently for hours.

8 8

Rory's stomach grumbles, and she finally takes the time to look at her watch. Eight o'clock. She and Jess have been in the bookstore for four hours. It is time to find him. Sometime during that time they have managed to separate and lose sight of each other, despite the fact that the store is not that large. In fact, Rory wonders why the owner hasn't yet subtly encouraged Jess and her to leave with the books they were going to purchase. By now, in any other store she'd been in they would have been disturbed. And they probably would have left by now. A few books lighter, but the bookstore wouldn't notice the difference.

"Jess?" Rory calls softly. She finds him curled up on the floor in a corner, leaning against a shelf with a stack of books up to his shoulder beside him, reading a book with a thoughtful expression on his face. "What are you reading?"

He looks up at her and shows her the title.

"I've never heard of it."

"Neither had I," he states. "But it's great."

Rory pouts. "I want it."

"There was only one copy. But you can borrow it when I'm done."

"Okay. But we should go. It's late, and I never did get that coffee."

Jess nods. He didn't want to be the one to say that they should leave. That they should go somewhere to have a chat. Rory needs to be the one to initiate the conversation. As much as he hates being the person to comfort someone else, he knows that it's his duty as a friend to get Rory to spill her secrets. But only when she's ready. He knows that he can't force her to tell him anything. A little procrastination hurt anyone, anyway, he tells himself.

Rory watches Jess rise to his feet and heave the stack of books up. "I'd be a real gentleman and offer to carry your books," he says. "But I think yours and mine combined weigh more than me, and definitely more than you."

The woman at the counter looks at the pair with a smile on her face. Rory and Jess laugh and joke with her as though they're all old friends, despite the fact that they don't know her name. She is pleased to know that the books she and her husband have so lovingly collected are finding a good home with a pair who will appreciate them as they should be appreciated.

"Where to next?" Jess asks his companion once they arrive back on the street.

Rory raises her hand to her mouth in horror as she finally comprehends what she has just done. Staring out into the blackness, and lights of the city, she realises that she should have been home, in Stars Hollow, hours ago. "Oh my goodness. I need to call my mom."

Being underground, the bookstore didn't have any reception, so Lorelai is quite frantic when Rory calls.

"Do you know how worried I was? I even rang Jess' house! Do you know how stressful that is for me? It's worse than doughnuts without coffee! Thank goodness he didn't actually pick up."

"I'm sorry, mom," Rory apologises. "I was in this underground bookstore. There was no reception and you know how I get in bookstores."

Lorelai exhales, and the relief in her voice is evident when she next speaks. "Is that all? Rory, you know better than that."

"I know mom," she holds her phone with her shoulder as she shifts her bags of books. "Look, I'm kind of in the middle of the street with a tonne of books. Can I call you back now that you know I'm not dead?"

"Fine," Lorelai's voice is grudging. "But where are you staying tonight? Can I expect you back?"

Rory glances at Jess. "I'm not sure. I've got to eat first. And I have to pick up Dani tomorrow anyway. It seems like a bit of a waste of time."

"Okay, call me when you get settled."

"Bye mom. I love you."

"Love you too, babe."

And Rory hangs up the phone.

Jess notices that she didn't once mention that he was there. He ignores it, though. "So, know any good coffee places around here?" he asks.

Rory only nods. "A couple of blocks that way," she points. "Close to where I parked my car."

8 8

Three blocks and ten minutes later, Rory and Jess enter a small café with a seemingly endless range of coffee blends. Jess allows Rory to choose their beverages and they order a couple of sandwiches before sitting down at a table to the side, away from most of the other eyes in the café.

They sit for a moment in silence, chewing and sipping the only noises permeating their little bubble of space. This isn't the deep and meaningful conversation Jess has been looking for. He lets it slide, though. Why should he be trying to force her to tell him what is going on in her life? After all, he walked out of it years ago. She let him walk out of it years ago. Unknowingly, a scowl is crossing his face, and his bites seem far more vicious. It's only when he accidentally slams his coffee down too hard that Rory looks up.

She is a little alarmed. Jess isn't looking at her, but seems to be staring down his sandwich. Suddenly Rory remembers that Jess is a person too. With feelings, and thoughts, and things that might be bothering him just as she has things plaguing her. "Is something wrong, Jess?" she asks.

He looks up, whatever subconscious anger he had now under control. He shakes his head. "No."

"It's just that, I feel like today has been all about me. Even if we haven't talked that much…" she trails off, thinking through her words. "You've always been good to me." She fades off into memories of him just being there, long ago.

"I haven't always," Jess dwells on his less than stellar performance as a boyfriend.

"You've always been easy to talk to," Rory says. "You always manage to take my mind off things, focus my thinking."

Jess shakes his head. "I can't take credit for that."

"So what are you thinking?" Rory changes the subject.

Jess looks at her, wondering if he should tell the truth. "I was… getting angry at myself, for being so curious about what was bugging you earlier."

Rory laughs and Jess takes offense. "No," she says, shaking her head. "I'm not laughing at you. I just completely forgot that I'd even had an awful day earlier. You just did it again, let my troubles fade away."

Jess is pleased that she is no longer upset about earlier but this doesn't stop his curiosity.

Rory seems to realise this when she looks at him, so explains. "Paul wants custody of Dani. And I think he might get it."

"Oh." It dawns on Jess that it's a serious problem. "Why would he get it?"

Rory squirms, but the load is off her chest. She's already explained it to one person who wasn't there at the time. One more, especially this one, couldn't hurt. "I wasn't well, after I had Dani. I was a terrible mother."

"But," Jess notices the tense of her words. "You don't think you are now. And that's what counts."

"Or do I? Jess you found me in the park when I'd fallen asleep for almost an hour! You had to look after my daughter for me while I slept oblivious. How is that the sign of a good mother?"

"You were tired. And when you woke up she was the first thing on your mind. I've seen you with her. I might not be great with kids, but you are. Rory, you were born to be a mother."

"I don't know," Rory states forlornly.

"He doesn't deserve her," Jess states forcefully.

"Thanks Jess," Rory smiles up at him. She finishes the last of her coffee and stands. "Let's go."

Jess frowns up at her. "Where exactly are we going? Where are _you_ going?" He knows she isn't going back to Stars Hollow after eavesdropping on her conversation with Lorelai.

Rory sits back down. "I don't know." She thinks it through out loud. "I was just going to go home… but Paul's there. And Dani's there, too." Well that answered Jess' unspoken question of where her daughter was. "I guess I'll just have to get a hotel room."

"Why don't you stay at my place?" he asks her.

She stares shell-shocked for a moment. "What?"

Jess looks so nonchalant at that moment that it's perfectly incongruous with his previous demeanour. "Why not? You need a place to stay, I have plenty of extra room."

She frowns at him. "I couldn't impose on you like that."

"You wouldn't be an imposition. I already have one guy imposing on me who doesn't seem like he's ever going to move out."

Her brow furrows. "You have a roommate?"

"Not really. Because then he'd be paying me rent. This guy's just taking and taking."

"But then two people would be imposing on you. And _I'd_ be imposing on two people."

"Rory," Jess says seriously. "He doesn't pay rent. If I could kick out one of my best friends I'd do it. But you're also one of my best friends, so there's no reason why you can't both stay."

Rory shakes her head.

"Come on, he's a chef. When he gets stressed out he'll cook so you'll have the biggest and best breakfast you've ever had after a shitty day."

Rory laughs. "Fine, you got me."

"The way to a Gilmore's heart is through her stomach," Jess quotes. "Not to mention he always cooks too much. You'll definitely solve that problem."

Rory acts offended. "So all you really wanted was a human garbage disposal."

Jess holds his hands up, "You're putting words in my mouth."

As one, they stand, and Jess retrieves his jacket from the back of the chair he was sitting on.

8 8

Jess drives back to his house in Rory's car after an argument. He didn't have a car with him as he'd come to the city on a school bus with the field trip. Rory didn't know how to get there, so it was a match, though Rory argued that she knew the way close enough. After all, she lived in basically the same neighbourhood. They compromised with Jess driving and Rory paying for the petrol, even though he argued that it was her car, so he should pay. But her insisting that she was staying at his house shut her up. He didn't want her to wind up with no place to sleep because of their combined pride.

Pulling up in his driveway, Jess notices that the light in Gary's temporary room is on, but none of the others. He's probably watching the cooking channel, wasting Jess' electricity. He really needed to start charging for utilities, at least.

"Home sweet home," Jess announces, though he feels as though it's anything but. A small shiver runs down his spine as he realises that this will be the fullest his house has ever been. And that the first woman who would be sleeping in it was not the woman he'd expected to sleep there.

Rory steps out carefully, re-examining the façade she got a look at as they drove up the street. It's a large house, and Rory wonders how Jess came across it. "It's big," she comments.

Jess only nods in response.

'Lonely,' she almost adds. There are no welcoming lights outside to guide Jess home. He locks the car with a click, then heads straight for the front door. Jess doesn't park in the two car garage, and Rory wonders what is in it instead. Clearly Jess would only own one car.

Rory follows Jess, slipping off her shoes when she notices Jess doing so. He switches on the hall lights and a charming hallway is revealed. It all looks homely and warm to Rory. She can see that a door to her right is open, revealing a living room with a home theatre in it. The door to her left, that Jess quickly shuts with a scowl, seems to be some sort of closet.

He takes her on a quick tour, showing her the library, and the theatre room, the kitchen and dining rooms, the downstairs bathroom, then they head upstairs. Jess steels himself slightly, knowing that since Gary is situated in his wing, he's going to have to take Rory down the right corridor. Deciding to prolong that, to allow himself more time to think, he leads Rory down the left. "Uh, that's my room," he points. "Gary's room," he points again. "Bathroom." Point. "And, you'll be over there." Slight inclination of the head. With reluctance that Rory must have noticed, he leads her over to the other side of the corridor. He opens the last door and turns on the light. "Sorry if it's a bit stuffy." Then noticing the bed was bare, he adds "I'll get you some sheets."

He turns, and discovers Rory is standing right in front of him. Inches away from her. If they were one of those couples, this would be that clichéd moment when they kiss. The light was illuminating her beautifully, and she looked so good.

It turns out that they are one of those couples, and suddenly Rory's lips are pressed against his, smooth and – he opens his mouth – tasting faintly of coffee, just as he expected, just as it has always been. It's a familiar kiss, despite the fact that their mouths are different now. Jess can tell that she's had more experience kissing now. Has kissed many more men. Not stupid teenage boys. It almost makes his heart pang with jealousy and longing. It should have been him.

Rory seems to realise what she's doing at that moment, eyes widening as she takes in Jess' face. At some point during the kiss her arms had come to encircle Jess' neck, and Jess' to encircle her waist. She quickly drops her arms from his neck and turns, wrenching herself from Jess' grasp, running down the stairs before Jess even has the opportunity to respond.

If they were one of those couples, Jess thinks as he leans against the doorframe. That was only to be expected.

8 8

A/N: And we're done… finally. Here's hoping the next one doesn't take nearly as long.


	7. Well, That Was Stupid

Jess talks to a little girl 

_Disclaimer: _This is a work of fiction based on characters from the Warner Bros. television show 'Gilmore Girls'. I don't own any of it.

_Author's Note:_ Yes, it's been a long time. That's tradition. But hey, at least I'm posting? Especial thanks to Fickle Sobriquet this time for making me feel guilty about not having posted in a while. Not to mention, the semi-complete chapter I had was longer than I thought it was.

_**Chapter **__**7 – Well, That Was Stupid…**_

Rory is sitting in the park, in what she believes to be the place where she saw Jess last time. It's late, and the damp is seeping through her skirt. She kicked her heels off long ago, stockinged feet now creating restless patterns as she thinks.

It wasn't particularly clever of her to just run away. Of course, it wasn't particularly clever of her to have kissed Jess in the first place. But he was so perfect… the very thought of him makes Rory long for times past. She wishes she could rewind and tape over the past ten or so years of her life. She wouldn't say yes when Jess asks her to run away with him, but she would find a way to make him stay. But, as every movie she's ever seen or book she's ever read about time travel has told her, no matter what you want to change about the past, it always ruins the future. If she were to rewind and tape over like she wants to, she wouldn't have Jess as he was. She wouldn't be the same person. And most importantly, she wouldn't have Dani.

And Dani was the most important thing. It must be terrible on a child, having her parents split and fight over her. Sure, Rory had been raised by her mother, but there had been no divorce. Lorelai had never married at that point. There was no ugliness until later. She was perfectly happy living with her mom and seeing her father every now and then. But she couldn't do that to Dani. It was bad enough that they were splitting, to have Jess around… to have Jess be her new daddy…

Rory sighs and leans back on her elbows, the dew quickly seeping through her thin shirt, too. She's getting ahead of herself. How can she even think of marrying again at this time? Even if it is Jess. Though, Dani does seem to like him. But they haven't been around each other long enough. Dani could easily grow to resent him. How would you like it if 'Uncle Jess' suddenly became 'Daddy' or just Jess? She can't do that to Dani.

So why is she even thinking about that? Why is she thinking about it at all? Why did she kiss Jess? Why is she ruining her life?

Because, Rory thinks ruefully. She always ruins her life. Always has to make it worse than it already is.

But inside, some rebellious part of her thinks that maybe Jess won't ruin her life. Maybe Jess is just what it is to make it better. But everyone knows what they say about good intentions…

8 8

It's an hour before Rory lets herself back into Jess' house. The door is still unlocked, and she slips in easily. She heads to the bedroom Jess mentioned was for her and notices that it's a rather large bedroom. The bed is now made with white and dark blue sheets, and one of Jess' t-shirts is lying on the bed along with a pair of grey sweatpants. He'd obviously expected her to come back. It brings a smile to Rory's face, and she turns from the room. To make sure he's not worrying, and to let him know that she's back.

Rory heads for the bedroom he'd mentioned was his and is shocked to find a different dark-haired man in the bed. She shuts the door and turns around… Or maybe it was the other room… A glance into the second room reveals a more familiar dark-haired man lying asleep amongst grey sheets. Rory tiptoes closer, admiring his profile, and the small expanse of skin not tucked beneath the sheets. She raises a hand to touch his face, stifling a giggle as the stubble on his chin tickles her. He shifts, and seems to notice her there.

"Rory?"

She smiles down at him. "Just letting you know I'm back."

He raises an eyebrow. His scowl is softened by the sleep obviously plaguing his eyes. "I was asleep."

"And I'll let you get back to that now," she says.

"Wait," he says, grabbing her wrist and pulling her down to his level.

Rory looks at him questioningly, sleepy eyes meeting not-so-sleepy ones.

He gently takes her face in his hands and kisses her softly. "You forgot your goodnight kiss." He doesn't make eye contact after that, and is asleep before Rory has left the room.

She cannot help but feel giddy as she goes back into 'her' room. She changes, and heads for the bathroom. There's a spare toothbrush, still in its packet on the vanity. And a little post-it note labelled 'Rory' attached to it. She smiles and helps herself to the toothpaste, before washing her face and heading back to bed.

8 8

The smell of muffins baking in the morning is enough to rouse Rory from her slumber. When the sound of frying joins the smell, Rory doesn't even bother to change as she heads downstairs, despite the cold. She follows the scent and the sound of early morning and finds herself in the kitchen. A strange man she's never met before is frying foods with his back turned. He must be the roommate Jess had mentioned earlier. Jess is seated at the counter, dark head mulling over the morning paper as he sips a glass of orange juice. The remains of a muffin are sitting on a plate beside him.

"Good morning," she greets him with a smile before suddenly remembering both of his kisses last night.

Jess looks up and notices her smile. "Morning," he returns. He then gestures to the stool beside himself. "Sit down."

Rory nods absentmindedly, sitting down next to him.

"Gary, meet Rory," he says, addressing the other man in the room.

The man turns and Rory can see that the apron he's wearing over a t-shirt and neat slacks is printed with a large picture of a chipmunk. His smile is large, but something in his eyes makes Rory think that he's live a life of pain. But that doesn't mean that the smile he's giving her isn't genuine.

She smiles in return. "Hi," she says, slightly shy.

"Good to meet you, Rory," he says exuberantly, stopping his cooking and wiping his hands before coming over to shake her hand. "Let me tell you right now, Jess has told me a lot about you."

Slightly taken aback by the big man and the news that Jess talked about her, she only stares at him sheepishly in response.

Changing the subject, Jess takes off his robe and places it around Rory's shoulders. "Aren't you cold?"

"Oh, so you'll let _her_ wear your robe but not your best bud Gary?" Gary retorts.

Jess merely frowns at him. "Go back to your frying pan."

Rory smiles at him, then at Gary when he places a plate full of bacon and eggs in front of her. A moment later a second one with an assortment of muffins was placed beside her.

"Is one of the things you told him how much I eat?" Rory asks Jess.

He raises his hands in a defensive gesture. "I have nothing to do with that. He likes to feed people. And I told him you were here so he's gone and made oh, double what he usually does for just me and him."

Then a glass of orange juice was poured.

The orange juice reminded her of Dani.

"I have to pick up Dani today," Rory states, remembering.

"Okay," Jess says, wondering where she's going with this.

"Paul's going to be there," Rory adds, looking at Jess plaintively.

"Okay," Jess repeats. There is no way he is going to cross swords with Paul Bancroft ever again.

"I need back up," she pouts.

"So call your mom," Jess states, standing to physically remove himself from this ridiculous conversation.

"But my mom's in Stars Hollow," Rory whines, pitifully. "I'm supposed to pick up Dani at twelve and there's no way my mom would be awake."

"So what were you planning to do yesterday, then?" Jess asks. "Before I told you that you could spend the night here?"

Rory shrugs. "I would have found a hotel."

"Oh." Jess pauses and turns away from her.

Rory turns to him. "So you'll come, then?"

"No!" Jess is shocked. "No way." The look on his face is panicked as he attempts a tactical retreat.

"Please?"

Gilmore blue eyes and that pleading expression once cracked him every time. But this time Jess will not break. He will not succumb. He will not let her get to him. She isn't his girlfriend now. She's married – at least for now. And, and… the husband tried to kill him! "Your crazy husband tried to kill me!" Jess exclaimed, just looking for an excuse though it was completely out of character for him to do so.

"What?" this definitely had Rory confused. "What?" It is confusing for her on two levels. The first is plainly that exclamations are incongruous with Jess' character as Rory knows it to be. The second is that she hadn't heard about this murder attempt.

Jess thinks a moment. "I'm not sure but he must have."

Rory gives him a look. Maybe she shouldn't be pressuring him. He's clearly going insane from the stress of having to deal with her hopefully-soon-to-be-ex-husband. But Paul wasn't even _his_ husband. Couldn't he empathise a little with her situation?

Finally, Gary intervenes. "Oh, just go Jess," he pushes. "We all know she's got you whipped."

Jess is indignant and about to interfere when Rory comes up with a real reason. "I need someone to come with me. If no one comes I don't know if I'll be able to leave."

Jess looks at her in one last attempt to refuse and finds that he cannot. Much as he hates to admit it, he must be whipped. "Alright, alright," he says, defeated.

The look on Rory's face is curiously not triumphant, but resigned. She really needs him, whether she knows it or not. Whether she chooses to believe it or not. "Thanks," she says. She finishes breakfast, managing to steer the conversation away from Paul and towards happier subjects. Like the book she'd just finished reading, and wondering how to get her new stack home.

8 8

After breakfast, Rory heads upstairs to change. When she's done, she peers into Jess' room to see what he's up to. He's reading one of the battered tomes he picked up yesterday, lying in his tennis shirt and dark slacks. His feet are encased in socks, and his shoes are on the floor. Rory is amazed at how he bothers to remove them.

"Ready?" she asks quietly, unwilling to disturb him. As though her quieter tone will fail to disrupt his concentration, but still let him know that she's waiting. He doesn't look up, but she knows that he heard her. He finishes reading something, slips a receipt in as a bookmark then stands.

It's as he stands that Rory realises something. "This is your room, right?" she asks.

Jess looks at her with his 'Are you insane?' look. Sadly, she's become quite familiar with that look in the past few hours. "Clearly," he responds.

"It's not as big as the guest room," Rory states.

Jess looks at her with a blank look on his face. "I like it better," he says, then brushes past her into the hallway.

Rory is confused, her journalistic mind wondering what she's stumbled upon. But it's Jess. So whatever it is, he's not going to tell her. Not unless he absolutely has to. So if Rory wants her curiosity satisfied, she's going to have to make it absolutely necessary that he tell her what's wrong. Easier said than done. For the moment, she drops it, just as Jess wants her to, and they silently head for Jess' car.

The drive back to Rory's old townhouse is short. There is never much traffic at eleven o'clock in the morning. Surprisingly Jess manages to remember the way there despite only having been there once before. He's driving her car again. He pulls into the driveway and sits there. Rory gets out then turns when she realises that Jess is not following her.

"Do we have to have the same argument again?" she asks him.

Slowly, as to prolong the inevitable, Jess pulls his keys from their slot and places them in his pants pocket. He pushes the button and his seatbelt retracts. Millimetre by millimetre, his hand reaches toward the door handle before finally Rory has had enough. She storms over to the car, wrenches open the door and manhandles Jess out of the car. He scowls at her, but refrains from commenting, and follows her diligently towards the front door.

At the door, Rory has a dilemma. Should she ring the doorbell? She doesn't technically live here anymore, but she does still have a key.

Jess grumbles at her, "Are we going to stand here all day?"

Luckily, Rory doesn't need to make a decision because Paul opens the door at that moment.

"I put your stuff in boxes already," he says. "Stuff from our room's outside the door. Your books are still in the living room."

Rory seemed a little put out by that. She'd expected to spend some time sifting through things, mulling over her life.

"Mommy!" a voice recognisable as Dani's called. She raced in from the living room, smiling happily as she greeted her mother. Rory caught her in a hug and they embraced for a moment as Dani rattled off the things that had happened over the past few days.

Jess was understandably uncomfortable. Luckily for him, Paul seemed to be ignoring him, so he wouldn't be receiving any threats any time soon. Jess should have known. Paul seemed like the type to put forward empty threats. He stepped inside, and shut the door behind himself. He awkwardly waited for the mother daughter reunion to be over, while Paul left the room. Apparently he'd decided he'd spoken to Rory enough.

A moment later, Dani lifted her head enough to notice Jess standing there.

"Uncle Jess!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his legs. "I haven't seen you in _so_ long." And so her ramble began. Jess wasn't quite sure what to make of it. She started mentioning unicorns and apple salad, throwing him completely off track.

Seeing that she wasn't about to stop any time soon, he turns to Rory for help. She only smiles at him, and starts to walk away. Sighing, he lifts Dani into his arms and follows her. Rory is in the living room, casting an eye over the spines remaining on the bookshelves. Only half the books remain on the shelves. And half of the books remaining there are legal texts. Books that Rory knows Paul must only own for the look of the thing.

"It looks like they're all here," she says to Jess. She leaves the room for a moment and returns with a roll of packing tape. As she tapes boxes, she mourns the contents. It will all be coming back to Stars Hollow with her… but then what? The removal of her belongings from her former home is the physical reflection of her spiritual removal. Something that had happened so long ago that she can't even remember when exactly. Had she ever thought of this place as her home? And if she did, where is her home now? Where has her soul gone?

She pauses, as she struggles to keep herself from breaking down, then tapes the last of the boxes. Meanwhile Jess has been listening to Dani tell him some story about her dad and Mr Longneck.

"Hey Jess, do you want to start loading?" Rory asks, although to her, it is not a question.

He looks at her, then at her daughter.

"She can go with you," Rory suggests.

Jess rolls his eyes, but he promised himself that he wouldn't argue with her in this house. Not when he could see how distressed she was. Even if the argument would take her mind off it.

"Come on," Jess says to Dani, as he lifts a box and walks out of the room.

As Jess brings the books from the library to the car, Rory heads into the kitchen.

There isn't much in the kitchen that Rory would really call her own. The toaster she has fond memories of, but it was a wedding present and she can't really leave her husband toaster-less. That would be too cruel. She grabs her coffee mug, and the machine, too. And all the beans and instant mix in the cupboards. And then she's done with the kitchen.

She had cleared out most of what was in the bathroom when she left the first time. Her essential beauty supplies, toothbrush and toothpaste had needed to come with her. She contemplates taking all the toilet paper with her too, but decides that it is too juvenile. Besides, he probably wouldn't even care. She removes all her sanitary products, and some make up. And it's another box filled as she shuts the door behind her.

After a cursory glance through the linen cupboards and the laundry, contemplating taking the last box of washing powder just to annoy him, Rory finally heads where she's been avoiding. She knows that Paul is upstairs in their bedroom. She knows that almost everything she deems hers will be in boxes just outside that door. She's not looking forward to having to confront Paul about the things that aren't out there.

Trudging up the stairs unhappily, she stops in front of the door to her room. As expected, four cardboard boxes are outside the door. She lifts the cardboard flaps and peers inside each one cautiously, as though expecting something to jump out at her. Nothing out of the ordinary does, though. She's simply staring at things. Things that belong to her. Surprisingly everything seems to be there, but Rory can't help the niggling feeling that Paul is withholding something important.

She knocks on the door gently. "Paul?" she calls through it, softly. She's trying to make herself known, but at the same time, hoping that he won't answer the door.

It swings open, though. And Rory finds herself staring at her husband. He's just as handsome as ever. His dark hair curling back behind his ears, large eyes that had once only looked at her with love now filled with cold indifference. Not that it detracted from his attractiveness. If she thought about it she'd always been attracted to that coldness in him. The part of Paul that was an enigma. Back in their Yale days, when he'd transferred and was suddenly there all the time. Just when she needed some one.

He raises one eyebrow at her. An action, she hates to admit, reminds her of Jess. Jess who is waiting for her downstairs with her daughter. Staring at Paul, Rory forgets why she knocked. "Just saying goodbye, I guess," she said, nervously wringing her fingers and looking down at her uncollected boxes. "Are you sure that's all my stuff?"

He nods at her, and she wonders why he isn't speaking to her. He's been so cold with her. Of course, one would think that a divorce that she instigated would be the cause, but Rory thought there was something more to it. Paul had always been an angry man. There was always something to complain about with him. Cold aggravation wasn't his style. And the thought suddenly scared her.

"Right," she says nervously. "Bye then." She lifts one box, discovering that it's not incredibly heavy.

Paul returns to the bedroom, shutting the door with a click. Too cold.

Absorbed in her thoughts as she walks down the stairs, she misjudges and slips down a stair, falling onto the floor and spilling the contents of her box. It's too much. That's all it takes. She just sits where she lands and cries.

Having heard the thud of Rory hitting the floor, Jess comes in from outside, Dani holding onto his hand. Seeing her, he rushes toward her.

"Rory, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Concern is written all over his face, as he gently holds her hands away from her face.

"I'm – fine," she manages to say.

"Mommy?" Dani asks, wandering over to her mother and giving her a hug.

"I'm okay, Dani. I just, fell down the stairs."

Meanwhile, Jess takes a moment to make sure that she's not lying about any possible injuries. She looks okay, even if Rory does make a depressing picture. Tears tracking mascara down her face, the detritus of her past life surrounding her, and her little girl pressing sweet kisses onto her hair.

"Rory?" Jess asks hesitantly, unsure how he fits into the picture.

"You know what?" she says, wiping tears from her eyes and standing, lifting her daughter onto her hip.

Jess doesn't ask, but she continues anyway.

"I don't need this stuff."

She takes his hand with her free one, and together they walk out of the house.

8 8


	8. Let's Just Get Along

Jess talks to a little girl 

_Disclaimer: _This is a work of fiction based on characters from the Warner Bros. television show 'Gilmore Girls'. I don't own any of it.

_Author's Note:_ Are you surprised? A chapter within two weeks from the last one. I'm not sure if that's a record for me, but it's definitely better than the past couple. As a result this is probably rife with errors, but I was too excited to not post. So in return for me so graciously producing this chapter before three months were over, I want everyone to pay special attention to whatever grammar I've screwed up.

_**Chapter **__**8 – Let's Just Get Along**_

The drive back to Jess' house is far less sombre than on the way from that morning. Rory is back behind the wheel of her own car, with Jess making sure that she's driving the right way. It is now Rory's turn to be regaled with Dani's stories of what she did with daddy. To Rory's inward delight (though she felt guilty for it), it turned out that Dani hadn't had much fun at all. And that she'd even become bored with watching Miss Sparkles reruns. On the other hand, Paul had left Dani with their next-door neighbour so often that she had become rather attached to their cat.

"Can I get a kitty, mommy?" Dani asks.

"I'm not sure about that, honey," Rory replies, concerned with the fact that they don't have a permanent residency at the moment.

"Yeah," Jess agrees. "Your mom might accidentally forget to feed it."

Rory was horrified by Jess' comment. "I would not!" she exclaims indignantly. "If anything it'd get too fat on everything I fed it."

"Mommy wouldn't let it die," Dani comments, her estimation of her Uncle Jess lowering.

"Because you'd never let her, would you Dani?" Jess says, turning to look at her as Rory pulls into his driveway.

"Uh huh," Dani nods.

"That's it!" Rory gives in, pulling the handbrake. "You can have a kitty."

"Yes!" Dani exclaims. "I can have a kitty. I can have a kitty."

"Are you going home now?" Jess asks, as he gets out of the car, shutting the door and muffling Dani's repeated exclamations.

Rory looks at him, before opening the back door to help Dani out of her seat.

"Are you so sick of our company?" Rory asks with her daughter in her arms. She puts on the famous Gilmore pout, silently urging her daughter to imitate her. Dani is a good student, and has an identical expression on her face within seconds.

"You want to stay for lunch?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Well," Rory smiles. "Where else could I get a four star chef to cook for me for free?"

"Of course," Jess feigns insult. "I forgot. A Gilmore only thinks about her stomach."

Rory smiles as they head into the house. It's nice to be around someone who doesn't think of her as Mrs Bancroft. "That and I don't like driving long distances," she finalises.

Jess unlocks the front door and they step inside.

The sound of raucous male laughter drifts through the house, startling the two adult arrivals.

"Gary?" Jess calls.

"Lounge," comes the reply.

They make their way into the lounge room and Rory notices a strange old man sitting with Gary.

"Jake," Jess says, surprised.

"Hey Jess," the man says, rising and giving Jess a manly hug.

"This was unexpected," Jess states, raising an eyebrow.

"I know," Jake says, triumphantly. "And you don't like surprises."

"That's true," Rory interjects. "My mom tells this story about his sister when she was about six and-" she suddenly finds a hand over her mouth, stopping her from continuing to speak. And a Gilmore hates to be denied.

"This must be the famous Rory," Jake states with a smile at her.

Rory gives a half-hearted wave, too busy contemplating how to work her way out of Jess' grasp to worry about what Jess might have told this man. Dani giggles at her mother's predicament.

"And who might you be, little Miss?" he asks Dani.

"Dani," she proclaims. "I'm three turning four in two weeks."

"They're staying for lunch," Jess adds, looking pointedly at Jake.

"Is that an invitation?" Jake asks. "Even if it isn't, I'm staying."

"Ladies and gentlemen," Jess introduces with sarcasm. "The epitome of the perfect house guest. He turns up uninvited, prances in when the homeowner is not home, then invites himself to meals."

"Speaking of which," Gary interjects. "I know just the place to get food from."

Rory makes a noise beneath Jess' hand.

"Rory was looking forward to your cooking," Jess states, still not removing his hand from over her mouth.

"This guy cooks better than I do," Gary said. "And we all know I don't give compliments lightly."

Jess raises an eyebrow. "Okay, so Jess knows. The rest of you I've barely met."

Rory makes another noise.

"Rory wants to know what sort of food they have."

Jake looks at him. "How do you know that?"

Jess shrugs. "Just guessing."

"How do you know you're right?" Gary asks.

"I don't see her protesting."

Rory narrows her eyes at him and steps on his foot.

"All right, all right," Jess says, raising his hands in surrender.

"Thank you," Rory states, sounding anything but.

"So," Gary addresses Rory. "I'm going to go pick up food, which you should be happy about since we'll be eating sooner that way. Do you want to come?"

"Sounds good to me," Rory replies. "Come on, Dani. Let's get some food."

"Okay," Dani says, never in awe in the presence of strangers.

And then it was only Jess and Jake left alone in the room.

"So," Jake says.

"What?" Jess asks, sitting down on the couch.

Jake is sitting in the armchair to Jess' right as he usually does when in Jess' house.

"So that's Rory?"

"Yes," Jess responds. He's not in the mood to talk to Jake about Rory. Now that he's seen her… seen them together. He probably already knows everything Jess is feeling. Jake has always been good at that.

"I can see why you like her so much," Jake muses.

"May I remind you that she is young enough to be your daughter."

"Just how I like 'em," Jake grins.

"That comment is wrong on so many levels."

"What the heck," Jake cracks. "Just go ahead and marry her. Then she'll be my daughter."

Jess scowls. "You are not my father."

"But I am old enough to be him."

Frustrated, Jess stalks out of the room. Half his life father-figure-less. And now, all these men wanting to play that role in his life now that it was no longer important. The world works in mysterious ways.

"This place is a mess," Jess states, looking around the kitchen.

Jake raises an eyebrow. He can't see any mess. "You know, I think Gary already cleaned this place up."

"He's left the pots out," Jess comments, pulling a clean dish towel from one of the drawers nearby and wiping the pots and pans Gary had clearly left to air dry on the dish drainer.

"Do you need any help?" Jake asks.

"No!" Jess says sharply. He's fine on his own. Cleaning up his own kitchen.

"Right," Jake raises his hands and backs away. You'd think he'd remember not to mess with Jess in his kitchen.

A silent moment passes.

"So, Rory?" Jake asks like a suicidal man.

Jess thrusts a pot into its place in his cupboard. "Her husband's a dick, but they are getting divorced. She's going back to Stars Hollow with Dani after lunch and that will probably be the last I see of her for a while," Jess states, faux nonchalantly.

"And you're just going to let her go?"

"It's the right thing to do," Jess says with conviction, retrieving a spray bottle and a clean cloth then beginning to wipe down the benchtops.

"Is it?" Jake queries.

"Of course it is," Jess states. "She's in the middle of a divorce, she has a daughter and she's emotionally unstable."

"And you aren't?"

"Yeah," Jess nods. "I am. It's not right for me either." Jess turns his back and begins wiping down the stove, then the wall behind it.

"You're putting her first, that means you care."

Jess ignores him and continues wiping.

"Why do I get the feeling you're hiding something?" Jake asks.

Jess pauses.

"You're definitely hiding something."

Damn Jake for knowing everything. Finally, Jess turns to face Jake. "We sort of kissed last night."

"Sort of?" Jake questions.

"Okay, so we did. Then she ran away."

"She ran away?"

"That's sort of par for the course with her. I should have expected it."

"But it still hurt?"

"I don't know," Jess mused. "I shouldn't have expected anything from her."

"But you did."

"It's my own fault. So it's better if I let her go."

Jake has no idea what to say. "Just because I'm a bachelor doesn't mean you have to be one too. I know I'm a great role model and all, but it is okay to not follow in my footsteps sometimes," Jake teases.

Jess throws the dirty cloth at him. "I'm not saying I'm going to be an old male spinster. But maybe Rory and I aren't meant to be."

"Meant to be?" Jake mocks. "Since when do you think like that?"

"I'm just saying that if I meet up with Rory again after ten years, there's nothing stopping it from happening again."

Jake nods, letting it go since Jess has already opened up more than he'd hoped. "So did you see in the paper about those kids on that school bus in New Mexico?"

8 8

Rory, Dani and Gary pull up to the back of a restaurant. Rory can't determine what sort it is, but judging by the vegetable truck parked outside and the fat looking alley cats, it was definitely a restaurant.

"You know when you said it'd be a free meal, I didn't think we'd be dumpster diving," Rory comments.

Gary laughs. "Just you wait, my dears. This'll be the best free meal you've ever gotten."

"We'll see about that," Rory states, climbing out of the car. She opens the back door and observes her daughter. "What do you think, honey? Does this look like a nice place to eat?"

Dani's facial expression says it all, but the face is punctuated by her statement: "Eugh!"

Rory laughs and unbuckles Dani, setting her by her feet and grasping her little hand.

Gary leads them straight into the kitchen with no preamble, right into the lunchtime rush. The only commercial kitchens Rory had ever been in before had been far smaller, and far less busy, even during the rush on Mother's Day. From the size of the kitchen alone Rory knew the restaurant must have been gigantic.

Gary knows where he's going and the various chefs in the kitchen are so focused that they don't even look up. Rory immediately sweeps her daughter into her arms, afraid that Dani will touch something.

"Moretti!" the man with the biggest chef's hat calls. "What are you doing here?"

"Collecting on a favour, Ambrose," Gary replies.

The other man nods. "What do you want?"

Gary turns to Rory.

"I don't know," she responds. "What do you have? I'm pretty easy to please."

"The deal's for whatever Gary wants," Ambrose replies. "Quickly now, I haven't got all day."

"What do you want for lunch, Dani?" Rory asks, looking for inspiration.

"Fries!" she responds gleefully. "And ketchup."

"Okay," Rory says as Gary calls out that part of their order. "But you have to having something with your fries."

"Strawberry milkshake!" the little girl proclaims.

Rory winces. "I don't think we can get those here," she says, but Ambrose is nodding. "Or maybe we can. And…" she tosses up a hand in exasperation, wishing that loosing the other wouldn't mean dropping her daughter. "I don't know."

Gary steps in, accepting that Rory is going to be happy with anything. "One asparagus and mushroom risotto, one chicken rosemary, one scalloped veal, one grilled halibut. And for dessert, three warm fruit salads and three of that chocolate thing you do."

The en-hatted man nods, yelling to his staff. He then leads the trio out of the kitchen toward a couch in the nook beside the bathrooms. He removes his hat, wiping the sweat from his brow then turns to Gary.

"So how's the wife?" Ambrose inquires.

Gary winces. "I don't know. She kicked me out."

"Ouch," the other man sympathises.

"Thought I was having an affair. Her girlfriends have been putting thoughts into her head."

Rory listens curiously, though unsure as to how much of his private life Gary is keen on sharing with her.

"Women talk too much," Ambrose says sagely, standing. "Were you?"

"Having an affair?" Gary looks mystified by the idea. "Of course not. Have you been talking to Selina?"

Ambrose shrugs. "You might," he says as he wanders back into the kitchen.

"I know you're not Italian, but in my family, marriage is forever. You don't go around having affairs with other women and then telling your wife that oh, I just moved on. You work on it, you talk about it. And if that doesn't work, you never speak to each other ever again. That is how things are done in my family."

Rory feels a little guilty about her divorce at that point. Though, she couldn't really see the point in remaining married if you were just going to ignore each other. "Do you still love her?" Rory asks.

Gary softens. "Yes. I love how she used to be. It's all those little things that people are always talking about. The way she laughs, the way she looked into my eyes as though looking through me, and into herself. The way it felt when she touched my hand. The way she used to cut her sandwiches into triangles before she ate them. Though I cannot work out why triangles are so much preferred over rectangles. It's still half a sandwich."

"But then you get the longest crust free part," Rory says. "Across the diagonal."

"What does that matter?" Gary asks.

"It just does."

"Triangles are prettier," Dani adds.

Gary smiles at her. "Yes, but not as pretty as you."

Dani laughs. "Thank you Grandpa Gary."

"Grandpa?" Gary is offended. "I'm not nearly so old. Not so old as your Uncle Jess. Won't you call me Uncle Gary?"

Dani moves her lips in thought. "Okay, if you say so. But you look as old as Grandpa Luke."

Rory laughs gently. "You don't Gary, honestly."

"Your hair's all grey like Grandpa Luke's," Dani persists.

"I think I shall have to meet this Grandpa Luke," Gary says.

"If you're ever in Stars Hollow," Rory says. "Luke's got a diner. You won't miss it. It's the one that looks like a hardware store."

"I'll keep that in mind," Gary nods. "Perhaps my next food tour will take me through America instead of out of the country."

Dani is then distracted by running to the end of the nook and back again, Rory lets her be after a caution to not disturb any of the people eating.

"Do you think it's possible to fall out of love?" Rory asks.

"No," Gary says immediately without even thinking. "Of course not. If you think you've fallen out of love then you were never in love in the first place."

"But isn't think you're in love the same as being in love?"

"On a conscious level," Gary begins. "I suppose it is. But I think maybe you never knew what love was in the first place. And subconsciously, I think you'd know and you'd behave differently. I think it's the same as if you were subconsciously in love."

Rory nods, suddenly remembering the goodnight kiss Jess had given her the night before. Was that unconscious love? He certainly didn't bring it up that morning. Of course, he hadn't brought up the other kiss either. Was that one the result of conscious love?

"Why so many questions about love?" Gary asks Rory.

"Well, you know I'm getting divorced," Rory says. "I wonder if I ever loved Paul. And whether it might be better for Dani if we didn't get divorced." Her eyes stay toward her daughter who is examining the paintings on the wall with a keen eye.

"Questions no one may know the answer to."

"The journalist within me hates the idea."

"That's probably what makes you a good one," Gary comments.

"How would you know?" Rory asks.

"I've read your column on occasion."

"I hate coming across people who've read it," Rory voices. "It makes me feel hypercritical, wondering what they'll think is wrong with it. And everyone says I'm too critical to begin with."

"As long as you remember why you're writing," Gary says. "But what do I know?" He pauses, looking around the restaurant. "Food. That is what I know. So simple and yet, infinitely complex."

"Don't I know it," Rory comments. "It took me years to learn to make a decent spaghetti bolognaise. Thank goodness that one doesn't know the difference," she says, indicating her daughter.

Gary laughs. "Are you sure that's not you being hypercritical?"

"No way," Rory shakes her head. "Just ask Jess. He laughs at the very idea of me cooking."

"Maybe you're putting yourself down too much. Maybe all you need is some positive reinforcement."

"Right," Rory nods.

"Your meals, Moretti," Ambrose interrupts, returning with a plastic bag rather full of plastic boxes, and a plastic drink bottle most likely containing Dani's milkshake. "And can I get the bottle back sometime?"

"Sure thing Ambrose," Gary nods, taking the food.

"Come on Dani," Rory calls, pulling her away from the pebbles at the base of a pot plant.

8 8

Rory, Dani and Gary arrive back at Jess' house just in time for a late lunch.

"Food's here," Rory announces once Gary has let them through the door.

"We're in the kitchen," Jess replies.

"So," Rory says as she saunters in happily, the mere aroma of the meal improving her mood to exuberant levels. "Since this is gourmet food I reckon we should do the most un-gourmet thing possible and sit on the floor in front of the TV."

"Not a chance," Jess says with a frown.

"Come on," Rory pleads, Gilmore blues wide open.

Surprisingly, Jess doesn't budge on this. "Absolutely not. Who's going to clean that up? Me, that's who."

"I'll do it," Rory says. "Have a little fun why don't you?"

"No. The only person who cleans up the house is me. My house, I clean it. Everyone else is a complete failure at it." He looks pointedly at Gary.

"I cleaned up after breakfast," Gary defends.

"And you left the pots out, wet, and did you even use disinfectant on the countertops? If everyone at your restaurant is like you I can't believe you haven't been shut down yet."

Gary doesn't even try to argue that, although it's not true.

"Let's just eat at the table like civilised people," Jake attempts to mediate. "I've already set it and Jess is a bit anal about cleaning."

"I am not," Jess grouches. "I am amazed by the extreme incompetence of people – as I am in every other department."

"That is true," Rory admits, though still privately agreeing with Jake. Jess hadn't succumbed to her puppy dog eyes. Rory suddenly worried about the state of the room she slept in. She'd removed the sheets from the bed and placed them beside the door, with Jess' borrowed clothes on top. But maybe she was meant to have put it all into a hamper somewhere. Or at least separated the darks from the lights. The pillowcases were a dark and light stripe, though. And Rory had never known whether those counted as light or dark. Secretly from her first encounter with them she'd never washed dark and light stripes with anything else, and had refrained from ever buying anything in that despicable pattern. She even wore it sparingly. It totally dulled her eye colour, anyway.

Worrying about upsetting Jess stymied the conversation despite Jake's valiant attempts to make conversation without touching upon the controversial topics of the time.

Everyone but Jess and Gary left after that, leaving Jess to wonder if maybe he did have a problem with keeping his house clean, and if he'd ever see Rory again because of it. But surely it wasn't wrong to want his house kept in order, clean and the same?

In defiance he didn't go in to clean the room Rory had slept in. He would trust her to have kept it neat – and to have removed anything that might attract rodents or cockroaches. In time he'd see if that trust was justified.

8 8

END CHAPTER! Are you as happy about that as me?


	9. Life Goes On

Jess talks to a little girl 

_Disclaimer: _This is a work of fiction based on characters from the Warner Bros. television show 'Gilmore Girls'. I don't own any of it.

_Author's Note:_ I kind of felt bad for leaving you guys hanging. So here's a quick-ish chapter. I hope it's quick, I'm meant to be studying. Warnings: not much Rory/Dani, a lot of Jess and Gary, and none of the Lit you all love so much. But if I didn't keep the Lit away, then you wouldn't like this story nearly so much. P

_**Chapter **__**9 – Life Goes On**_

It is two weeks later when Rory decides to ring Jess to catch up. The last couple of weeks have been busy for her. The commute from Connecticut to New York each week is starting to grate on her. Luckily, the novelty of it for Dani hasn't worn off yet. Rory doesn't know what she's going to do when Dani can no longer stand the car ride and refuses to go. In the meantime, she is inventing more car games (touch your toes every time you see a red car being a favourite) and spending more time with Dani in an effort to combat any fun she's been having with daddy.

As well as the long drives, it's the divorce proceedings that are weighing on her the most. She'd agree to everything Paul wanted if he wouldn't continually ask for things that were hers to begin with. Things that, she might have bought with their money, but if she was the only one who used them, why should Paul get to keep them? He was just being a nuisance. He wouldn't give on any point.

And then there was Jess. He hadn't called her since the last time she'd seen him. She guessed that it wasn't really his sort of thing, but she thought he'd meant something. So finally, she gives in and decides that she will have to foot the long distance bill. Besides, Thanksgiving is coming up and she now has a legitimate excuse to ring Jess. She gets comfortable in her bedroom at her mother's house and picks up her phone, dialling his number.

"Hello?"

The voice on the other end is not Jess. Luckily, Rory recognises it as Gary's before she hangs up thinking it's a wrong number.

"Hi Gary, it's Rory. Is Jess in?"

"He's not actually," Gary responds.

"Oh," Rory is disheartened. It just so happens that the day she chooses to call Jess he doesn't answer. Why hadn't he given her his cell phone number? "Is he coming back soon?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe. Do you have his cell number?"

"No," Rory replies. "Hang on." She grabs a loose pen and a slip of paper. "Go."

Gary recites Jess' number.

"Thanks," Rory replies, going to hang up.

"Wait a second, Rory. I wanted to talk to you."

"Really?" Rory asks, confused.

"Yeah," Gary says. "You're a good friend to Jess you know."

"Am I?" Rory asks. "I never see him."

"All the same, it is true."

"Well, thanks I guess."

"Yeah. Anyway, I wanted to know if you were interested in cooking lessons. From me. You said you had trouble with it, and I want to help."

"Really?" Rory asks with a smile on her face. "But you know, when I say I am awful at cooking, I mean it."

"Well, I used to teach at my cooking school, just after I graduated before I could find work with a restaurant."

"That's fantastic. I would love for you to teach me how to cook."

Gary laughs happily. "Thanks."

"So when would you be free?" They make plans to meet up the next Tuesday, just before Rory picks Dani up from Paul.

"Oh," Rory remembers why she rang in the first place, besides talking to Jess. "I'm inviting Jess to Thanksgiving dinner at Luke's diner on Thanksgiving. Can you tell him that, and did you want to come too?"

"I would love to come, seeing as things don't seem to be looking up here. Selina and I used to spend our Thanksgivings curled up in bed together all day, just relaxing. I'm never open on Thanksgiving."

"That sucks," Rory replies eloquently. "But if it's any consolation it'll be my first Thanksgiving apart from Paul, in about five years or so. I'm not even sure how long it's been. Not to mention we haven't even worked out who gets Dani on that day. And who gets her for the weekend. I think technically Paul has her on the weekend, but I don't know."

"You'll be lucky to have that sorted out legally when you determine custody," Gary remarks.

"That seems like it'll be months away," Rory sighs.

"It'll all pick up," Gary attempts to comfort. The sound of him sniffing is audible to Rory. "I think my pie's done."

"Oh, you're cooking? I shouldn't have been keeping you."

"No, that's alright. It was my fault anyway. But now I've got to get that before it burns."

"I'd say save me a slice, but I don't think it'll make it to Stars Hollow intact."

"Probably not," Gary says. "Bye then."

"Bye," Rory hangs up and Gary proceeds to the kitchen.

As he is removing his pie from the oven, Gary hears Jess come in.

"Jess," he calls, leaving his pie to cool on a wire rack.

A grunt is heard in response. Since Rory's last visit, Jess had been remarkably grumpy. Most people wouldn't have noticed the increase in grumpy since Jess is grumpy most of the time, however Gary is not most people. He's been friends with Jess for years now. Neither of them even remembers how they met since it has been so long. Jess is grumpy. He's also been less neat recently. Something else that reminds Gary of when they first met. Jess was grumpier and messier back then.

Eventually Jess enters the kitchen. "What?" he asks, grumpily.

"Rory called," Gary informs, leaning on his elbows on the countertop across from Jess.

Jess slides onto a bar stool. "Great." He makes it sound anything but.

"She invited us to Thanksgiving at Luke's."

Jess looks at Gary. "I'm not going."

"Why not?" Gary asks. "What do you usually do on Thanksgiving anyway?"

Jess looks at him. "I usually spend it with my dad. You know that."

Gary shrugs. "Do I?"

"How long have you known me again?"

"I don't remember."

"Exactly," Jess frowns. "And you don't know what I always do on Thanksgiving?"

Gary shrugs. "Well I'm going to go."

Jess' frown deepens. "They aren't even your family."

Gary shoots an accusing look at Jess. "I don't see you inviting me to spend time with you."

"We see each other every day. I think that would be Gary overload. And don't you have other family besides Selina?"

Gary looks sad at the mention of her name. "Now it's you who doesn't know me that well. Don't you think that I'd be there instead of here if I had other family? You're Italian, you know that's all we've got."

"True," Jess responds, thinking of his own extended family in Stars Hollow and back in Italy. "So do you want to spend it with Jimmy and me?"

"I already told Rory yes. It would be rude to change my mind and say no."

Jess rolls his eyes. He isn't sure, but some part of him seems jealous of Gary. At the easy way he can say yes to an invitation from Rory to spend Thanksgiving with his uncle. For Jess a decision like that would have required hours of thought to mull over, so much that if he appears it would seem like a last minute decision, brought about on the spur of the moment.

"Suit yourself," Jess mutters. He is about to leave when Gary stops him.

"Oh, and I invited Rory over next Tuesday to give her some cooking lessons. I hope you don't mind if I use your kitchen."

Jess gives him a glare. "Rory? Cooking? In my kitchen? No thank you. Use your own kitchen."

"Gee thanks, but my wife's not going to let me into the house."

"Not that kitchen, at your restaurant. Remember that little place? When's the last time you even went in there?"

"Yesterday," Gary states. "Do we even know each other, Jess? Even when we're living in the same house we can't keep track of each other."

"I know," Jess retakes his seat at the bar. "So," he says uncertainly. "How are things?"

Gary studies him for a moment before taking a seat beside him. "You know, we're men. I think this conversation needs some alcohol."

Jess shrugs. Then he stands and heads for his liquor cabinet. "What do you want?"

Gary stands and heads for the fridge. "I was thinking more along the lines of beer."

"Do we have beer?" Jess asks.

Gary opens the fridge and removes a six-pack from it. "Yup. I bought some the other day."

"Okay," Jess sits down again, and Gary sits beside him. They each crack open a can and take long sips.

Gary finally breaks the silence, once half a can has been downed by each man. "I miss her."

"I know you do," Jess replies. "I do know that much."

"I wish I could get her back."

Jess finishes his first can and reaches for a second. "Maybe you should be trying. It's been what six weeks? I think she's had enough space. It's time you started fighting. Be a man."

Gary observes his friend before reaching for his own second. "I don't know."

"Look," Jess states. "She hasn't had you served yet. That means she's still hoping, herself. All you have to do is prove that you never cheated on her. Then you can go back to your old happy life. And leave me to my misery."

"I can't be happy when you're not happy, Mariano."

"Perfect," Jess comments. "That's exactly what I was looking for."

Both men sit in silent contemplation. The rest of the night is spent in creating hangovers for the next morning.

8 8

That next morning arrives early and cold. Jess curses having forgotten to turn on the central heating in the midst of last night's drunken escapade. He shouldn't have been drinking last night. He has to teach today, and his students are not going to forgive what looks like a hangover. He dresses warmly and turns on the heating before joining Gary in the kitchen for their ritual breakfast.

Gary is whipping up pancakes and crumpets far too cheerily for that time of the morning, especially considering last night's inebriation. He is even _whistling_.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Jess asks, before taking to his usual stool. A plate is quickly thrust in front of his face, and Jess has to hold back a retch due to the smell.

"Absolutely nothing," Gary replies with a grin, passing Jess the Gatorade that was part of these hangover breakfasts.

"Precisely," Jess notes, before sipping. "Your head is supposed to feel like a walrus tusked it, and I can't believe you made bacon – the most hated of smells post-drinking."

"Sorry about that," Gary apologises calmly before slipping a plate of bland pancakes and crumpets in front of his nose.

"Crumpets?" Jess asks, studying his plate before lathering it with honey.

"It's a lovely day," Gary comments.

"It's frigid," Jess retorts. "Why didn't you turn on the heat?"

Gary shrugs. "It's warm enough in the kitchen.

Jess will never get used to the fact that his friend is more a morning person than he is. He hadn't thought it possible.

"What is wrong with you?" Jess asks again.

"Not a thing," Gary responds blithely. And, well, gaily.

"Will the agony never cease?" Jess pleads, beseeching the heavens.

"Alright, alright. I'll tell you. I had the most marvellous idea while I was pondering my ceiling."

"Did you?"

"Yes," Gary responds. "I know exactly how to win Selina back."

"And that is?"

"With your help, dearest Jess."

"If you ever call me that ever again I think I might have to obtain a gun licence just so that I can shoot you and claim it was self defence."

"Well that's cruel. I thought your religion forbade murder."

"It's the same religion as yours, and yes, it does. You see, I'm willing to risk hell to hurt you if you say that again."

"Somehow I doubt that," Gary frowns. "You love me."

"Yes. But I also love the homeless bum down the street who sometimes pukes in my bushes."

"Point taken," Gary smirks. "Anyway, you are going to help me get Selina back by pretending that you are the one who's been having an affair with Julianne this whole time."

"Excuse me?" Jess' look is priceless as he eyes his long-time-soon-to-be-murdered friend.

"It's perfect. We go on a double date. She'll see sparks between you and Julie and poof she'll realise she was just being insane and I'll forgive her, because what else can I do, I still love her, and maybe a baby."

"A baby?" Jess frowns.

"Well, Rory's Dani has had me thinking about it. And I think maybe that's why we've had this trouble. Lina's always wanted kids. I was always too busy. If we had them, it'd be her looking after them all the time. But now, I see the light."

"And you realise that you don't actually work," Jess adds.

"I do work, but not as much as I used to. I own the joint, I make money when I'm not there, and people go there just because of my name."

"I'm still not going on a date with you."

Gary pleads. "Come on, I'm sure you owe me a favour."

"I owe you a favour? You're living in my house. And I'm not charging you rent. And you think you can call me on favours?"

"Oh come on, Jess. Think about it?"

"No," Jess responds, before standing and heading to his bedroom to get ready for work.

8 8

It's Jess' first period Latin class, and he's hoping he doesn't look as trashed as he feels. He has the senior class, so they're already used to the booze and hangovers that will characterise the next few years of their life. Not to mention those kids knew more than he was willing to give them credit for. After all, they were taking the dead language known as Latin, that called for intelligence of some variety. On the other hand, weren't kids like that traditionally losers and therefore not into underage drinking? Despite the fact that he knew he was one of the 'cooler' members of staff, it still hadn't encouraged a lot of students past ninth grade. Passing was more important to most of them than perving on an older man.

His senior class consisted of ten kids that (although he'd never admit it to them) he would sorely miss when they graduated in a few months' time. That was the thing about teaching. Kids would come through your doors, and for a time you'd feel like you knew them really well. And then they'd be gone, and you'd be lucky if they said hi the next time they saw you.

Only two teenagers are there when Jess enters the room before he sits down behind his desk and removes various papers from his bag.

"Good morning Mr. M," a boy by the name of Byron greets in Latin. Alison, the girl sitting next to him that Jess knows to be his girlfriend smiles in greeting.

"Good morning," Jess responds in Latin, reminding them of the class they are in.

Alison whispers something in Byron's ear and he appears to observe Jess a little more closely before whispering back.

Jess quirks an eyebrow at the pair while secretly hoping that his hangover is showing.

"Did you get a haircut?" Alison asks in Latin, in a roundabout fashion. Jess isn't sure that the Romans would have asked that question. And it wasn't something they'd write down, really.

"Yes," he responds, glad that it isn't about his baggy eyes.

At that point one of Jess' favourite students, simply because he reminds him of himself, enters the room. Teachers aren't meant to have favourites, though.

"Someone's been drinking," he comments.

Immediately the other two students swivel to examine their teacher.

"Sit down, A.J.," Jess commands.

The teen does, sitting toward the back of the room despite the fact that the rest of the class would sit more toward the front of the room. "So was it a good night?" A.J. asks Jess.

Jess decides not to answer. It's going to be a long day.

8 8

When Jess arrives home, he is horrified to find Gary waiting for him, keys in hand.

"I called Julianne and Selina, they both agreed to go out tonight," Gary smiles.

Jess looks at him grumpily.

Gary notes his expression. "Aren't you happy for me?" he asks.

"I'd be happier if I didn't have to go on a date with you."

"It's a double date," Gary corrects. "And why, I do believe that means you've decided to go with me."

And it's true, as much as Jess hates it, he can't leave his friend hanging like that. At least, not without being eaten up by guilt inside.

Gary takes his response as affirmation. "Great! We'll be eating at my restaurant since I can't be bothered getting a booking. That means you have three hours to get ready, so hop to it. I know it takes you a long time to look presentable."

Jess shoves him. "Seriously, what does this Julianne even look like?"

"She'll be over later, so that you can meet each other before we meet up with Selina."

"What time?" Jess asks.

"Five-thirty or so," Gary responds. Jess nods. He has time to catch up on some marking before she arrives.

It suddenly strikes him as rather sad that he spends his Friday nights marking homework of teens rather than boogie-ing the night away. He hadn't been in a functional relationship in so long. Part of him wondered if it was because he was still in love with Marilyn. The part of him that had been grumpier over the past couple of weeks wondered if it was because he was still in love with Rory. The part of him that wished he wasn't so sentimental sometimes pondered Julianne as a prospect.

Perhaps Julianne was attractive. Sure, Gary didn't like her, but he was smitten with Selina, despite how callously she'd thrown him out, so Gary's opinion on other women didn't count. Actually, his opinion of Selina probably wasn't to be trusted. He was enamoured to the point where he could not see her flaws, despite the fact that they'd been married for four years now. Jess didn't understand how it was possible for her to throw him out. Maybe Gary had been right that first night, maybe she wasn't in love with him. Maybe she had been having an affair.

Jess sets aside the verb conjugations of his eleventh grade class as he stares out the window of his office, watching the graceful oak sway in the breeze. He'd been contemplating everything, lately. That wasn't so unusual, given that Jess was a ruminant, however it irked him. Yes, Jess enjoyed thinking. But he didn't enjoy it so much that he would rather do it than say, read a classic. But that's all he'd been doing lately. Jess wasn't even quite sure what the last book he'd read was. He was losing himself again. And he wasn't even sure why.

8 8

A five thirty on the dot, the doorbell rings. Jess is dressed, in a shirt and slacks. It looks remarkably similar to what he was already wearing to work that day. However, the shirt was more expensive, and he was wearing a new pair of shoes.

As soon as he steps downstairs, Gary, having already opened the door, glances at him. "Put on a tie."

Jess looks at him. "Why? Are they going to kick me out?"

Gary glares.

"No," Jess responds. He ignores Gary and greets the woman who is to be his date for the evening.

She's a tallish woman, taller than Jess. That usually worries him, so he glances down. The heels she's wearing mean she's probably shorter than him if they were both on even footing. She has longish dark red hair, and greenish eyes. Something about her makes him use –ishes to describe her. But she is definitely attractive. There is something of a sparkle in her eyes and she seems like a genuinely nice person.

"I'm Jess," he introduces himself, extending a hand for her to shake.

She glances toward Gary for a jiffy before uncertainly taking his hand. "Julianne." Her coat is hanging off her arm, and Jess notices it.

"Can I take your coat?" he asks politely.

"Thanks," she says as she hands it to him. He takes it and places it in the coat closet.

Gary eyes the pair for a moment. "Who's up for a drink?" he asks.

Jess eyes his friend in return. "I know you're nervous, but you don't want to be drunk when you meet Selina again."

Julianne nods. "You have to look your absolute best. You have to be perfect." She looks nervously at Gary. "Not that you aren't already."

Jess eyes the woman curiously. He takes that awkward moment to lead them into the sitting room.

"So," Jess begins.

"You need to know enough about Julianne to make it seem as though we're not making this up."

"So when did we meet?" Julianne asks.

"April?" Jess asks. "Is that the last time you were in the country?"

Gary nods. "Yeah."

"And we hit it off because…?" Julianne trails off, letting someone else finish her statement.

"I like to read," Jess suggests.

"I don't," Julianne replies.

"We don't need real reasons," Gary states, beginning to panic about the ability of this plan to work. If it didn't work, Selina would surely take it as proof that he had cheated on her.

"Your wife knows that I like to read," Jess notes.

"But she doesn't know that you don't, Julie," Gary says.

"Can't I just be a fan of his sense of humour?"

"Jess doesn't have a sense of humour," Gary states.

"Hey!" Jess interrupts.

Gary continues. "It's the sarcasm channel twenty-four hours a day with Mariano."

Jess can't deny it. "Well I don't usually crack jokes."

"Can I laugh anyway?" Julianne asks. "Because it would be funny."

"I don't know," Jess responds. "Can you?"

She laughs. Jess likes the sound of it. It's surprising, he didn't expect to enjoy listening to her laugh. He'd expected some sort of crazy witch screech. But it was pleasant.

"Can't we just let opposites attract?" Julianne asks.

"And there was obviously sexual tension when we met," Jess adds. Julianne laughs awkwardly while Gary belts out a nervous laugh. "You're going to have to calm down," Jess says to Gary. "Lina knows you. She knows when you're lying."

"I'm not sure about that."

"True," Jess agrees. "She thinks you're having an affair. Speaking of which, your relationship with Julianne must be strictly professional."

"Of course," Julianne and Gary agree.

"And don't do that. It creeps me out."

"We should go," Julianne says, checking her watch.

"Okay," Gary states, nervous jitters beginning. "Your car or mine?"

It is decided that Jess will ride with Julianne to have a little more bonding time and to make it as though they are together, and Gary will drive by himself. Jess isn't sure about letting Gary drive, but it does seem a good idea that he arrive with Julianne.

8 8

Julianne drives through the evening traffic gracefully and the pair arrive precisely at seven o'clock, the time Gary had their reservation set for.

The maitre d recognises Julianne immediately and leads the pair toward the table where Selina is sitting and waiting.

"Good evening, Jess," Selina greets Jess calmly. Though he is her husband's friend, he wasn't the one who encouraged him to become lying, cheating scum as far as she is concerned.

"Evening Selina," Jess greets. "And I think you've met Julianne?"

Selina nods in response, but does not say anything to the woman who has been with her husband.

Jess awkwardly sits between the two women who are eyeing each other across the table.

"Huh," he says, just for the sake of making noise.

Luckily their waiter arrives, placing a basket of breadsticks on their table, filling their glasses with water, then asking if they want anything to drink. They order a bottle of wine, and seem to be about to relax somewhat, before Selina speaks.

"Where is Gary?" she asks.

Jess shares a look with Julianne. "I'm not sure," he responds. "He left about the same time we did so he should be here."

Selina looks at him before understand that it is the truth and she begins pondering the table.

For something to do, Jess unfolds Julianne's napkin and places it neatly across his lap. She smiles at him, although Jess feels that she feels that her independence has been compromised. In return, she takes his and places it over his lap with a smirk.

Jess raises an eyebrow. He wouldn't have suspected that of her. The smirk, that is.

Selina sighs and glances at her watch. "He couldn't be on time, could he? I thought I meant something to him."

Their waiter comes back with their wine and asks if they're ready to order. Julianne informs him that they're waiting on Mr. Moretti, and so their waiter leaves to tend to another table.

Impatience on Selina's part is quickly turning into anger. "He organised this! He might as well show up!"

Jess attempts to soothe her. It's not his style, but he does want things with Gary and Selina to work out… if only because he does miss having his house all to himself. "He probably just got caught up in traffic."

Selina frowns. "Or maybe he's out with some hussy." That is strong language coming from a woman who is usually very mild.

Jess rolls his eyes internally. He wishes he could do it externally, but Mrs. Moretti would probably attack him, in the mood she's in. "I'm sure he isn't. He hasn't thought about anyone but you the entire time he's been staying at my place."

"Then why has it taken him so long to call me?" she asks almost wistfully. It makes Jess wonder if it was all just a ploy to get her husband to pay more attention to her. But after the first week Gary had basically given up and fallen into an odd depression. Odd in that it wouldn't be noticeable to most people. Jess had barely noticed it himself, caught up in his own life as he was.

"He was afraid of what you'd say." And it's the truth.

"You know nothing happened between he and me, don't you?" Julianne asks. Jess would like to know the answer to that question too.

"I wasn't sure," Selina admits. "But he was never there, he hardly ever called. What's a woman to think?"

"Trusting him might have been a start," Jess answers what was probably a rhetorical question. "Talking, and listening might have helped too."

Selina looks at him with murder in her eyes. "Don't you lecture me on relationships, Jess Mariano. When's the last time you were in a serious relationship?"

Jess is suddenly reminded immensely of his Zia Caterina. Zia Caterina is one of Jimmy's older cousins, a large woman and supremely matriarchal. When he'd last been to visit she was all over him about not being married (despite the fact that he wasn't even thirty yet). But then he was able to tell her about his engagement, and her surprise and delight at the thought of a new baby. That had fallen through, though. The thought left Jess feeling rather depressed.

Jess excuses himself and retreats to a dark corner to ring Gary. Worryingly Gary doesn't answer his phone. Jess doesn't let this get to him, perhaps he's driving and just doesn't want to pick it up. He resigns himself to the fact that he's going to have to spend some more awkward time with two women he barely knows.

Luckily, Julianne and Selina seemed to be getting along. Somehow Julianne had started into a story about her last boyfriend when Jess arrives. She pauses in her story when she sees Jess standing there.

"Don't worry about him," Selina commands. "Finish your story."

"So basically Brad had eaten my entire dinner while I was gone." Selina laughs.

Jess just looks at them oddly.

"You don't need to worry about that with Jess," Selina comments. "He doesn't eat enough."

Jess frowns at her. "You sound like my zia."

"I bet she's a very smart woman," Selina comments.

"Of course," Jess agrees. Then quips, "That doesn't mean that you are."

Selina looks affronted, and changes the subject. Unfortunately, it's toward her husband's obvious absence. "Where is he?"

Jess replies honestly. "I tried ringing him, but he wouldn't pick up."

"He's probably still driving," Julianne puts in.

Jess nods. "Exactly."

Selina begins to look worried. Unknowingly, they all share that worry.

Julianne checks her own watch. "Maybe you should try him again."

This time Jess doesn't bother to leave the table, he pulls his cell from his pocket and redials. No answer. Again.

Jess shakes his head at the two women.

Julianne attempts to change the subject. "Maybe we should just order. I don't know about you two, but I am starving."

Jess looks over the menu. "So what do you suggest?" he asks her. "And how does this restaurant operate when neither you nor Gary are here?"

Julianne shrugs. "I'm going to suggest the veal. As for the latter, that's Daniel's job."

"Veal it is," Jess agrees. "Selina?"

She ponders a moment. "Would you recommend the spaghetti?" she asks Julianne.

Julianne smile. "Of course."

"I can't remember if I liked it the last time I was here."

"Well, I personally prefer the gnocchi. Honestly, if you order the spaghetti Daniel will probably get Edward to cook it and well, it's not as good as Gary's."

Selina nods. "The gnocchi it is."

Julianne flags their waiter over and places their order.

Selina's phone begins to ring from within her handbag and she answers it. "Hello? Yes. Oh no. How is he? Where is that?" She draws a pen from her bag and scribbles on her hand. "I'll be there soon. Thank you."

"What is it?" Jess asks her.

"Gary," she replies. "He's been in a car accident."

And from that moment, it is a whirlwind and Jess drives Selina to the hospital. Julianne goes home. They wait for news and finally Selina is allowed in to see Gary. There's no serious damage done that they can determine, but he may have a concussion.

When Jess is allowed to enter the room a moment later, Selina seems to be tending to him with love in her eyes. Maybe, despite the fact that Gary never did make it to dinner, they still had a chance. Watching them, Jess certainly hoped that they did.

8 8

A/N: Argh, my scenes are so contrived. Oh well, you don't mind, do you? If so, beware that coming up with things less contrived will take more time leaving you with an average to two chapters per year instead of three or four and yes, it has been that long already. And yes, the ending is rushed, but it doesn't matter anyway. You just need to know that Gary was in a car accident, is okay and now Selina remembers that she loves him happy ending.

I have a question. Is there any character you guys would want to hear from? Except Logan, I don't like Logan. And some later introduced characters never existed in my universe. Anyway, is there anyone whose story you'd like to hear about in this future universe? I may or may not work them in depending on how I feel. But if you ask really nicely I'll be guilted into it.


	10. And What They Were Stirring Was

Jess talks to a little girl

_Disclaimer:_This is a work of fiction based on characters from the Warner Bros. television show 'Gilmore Girls'. I don't own any of it.

_Author's Note:_ I kind of lied, this chapter isn't Thanksgiving. Oops. Oh well. I don't even remember what the point of this chapter is so it'll probably be short, but it's in my outline. Which, by the way now has an ending. After this there's four more chapters and maybe an epilogue and time is going to start moving faster... especially because I am seriously getting tired of this story and at the moment am only really writing for you guys (so if you don't review, I might think no one's reading and therefore will just stop) because you deserve an ending. I might write some snippets afterwards, though because I had all these Jess/Dani scenes in my head that just aren't going to make it into the fic.

_**Chapter 10 – And what they were stirring**__** was…**_

Rory calls Jess' house early on Monday morning just to make sure that their cooking lesson is still on the next day. Jess answers.

"Hi Jess," Rory replies to his muffled greeting.

"Is this going to be quick?" he asks, gruffly. "I'm supposed to be leaving soon."

"Sorry," Rory apologises. "I just wanted to talk to Gary."

"Oh," Jess replies, a little put out that she hadn't called to speak to him. "Gary's sort of in the hospital," Jess informs her.

"What?" Rory is shocked. "Is he okay?"

"He is actually," Jess tells her. "I mean, really he would have left days ago, but Selina's been insisting that they look him over thoroughly, and that he can't leave until he can sit up by himself."

"Selina?" Rory questions. "His wife?"

"Yeah," Jess nods, though she cannot see that. "He was in a car crash. We were going to go out to dinner so that he could reconcile with her. He finally realised how much he missed her."

"So they did reconcile then," Rory says. She can't say she isn't happy for his friend. "So I'm guessing my cooking lesson tomorrow's off, then."

"I guess so," Jess replies, having forgotten about that. "You might want to ring him though, anyway. Do you have a pen?"

Rory makes an affirmative noise when she has one, and Jess rattles off the phone number of Gary's hospital.

"Is that it?" Jess asks.

"Um," Rory says. "Thanksgiving? Are you coming? I know Jacqui and Brian would love to see you."

"Oh, yeah. I need to ring them. But no."

"Why not?" Rory is disappointed. Who knows when she'll get to see him next.

"I usually spend it with Jimmy," he replies.

Oh yeah. His father. "Well, I think he'd be welcome, too."

"I don't know," Jess replies. "He and Liz don't always get along."

"Okay," Rory says. "Can I see you?" she asks, desperately. "I was going to see Gary tomorrow, but since that's not working out, are you going to be around?"

"Tomorrow's not good for me," Jess says.

Rory is silent, waiting for him to tell her when he is free.

"Jess," she says finally, as he tries to leave the phone. "How are you?"

"Rory," he replies. "Rory. I just am."

"I miss you," she tells him honestly.

And though he wants to say that the same is true for him (because it is) he can't. "Goodbye, Rory."

She hears the click of the phone and isn't sure what he means. Weren't they supposed to be friends?

8 8

It's Wednesday. Gary's finally well enough to get out of the hospital. But not, according to Selina, well enough to help Jess pack his stuff up and cart it back to his house.

And for a guy who hadn't really officially moved, there is a heap of stuff there. And Jess isn't even touching the stuff in the kitchen that Gary added, since it had been bought specifically for Jess' kitchen. And who knew what would happen if those "essential" items weren't there. Gary always was the sort of chef who likes his gadgets.

Two hours after he starts, Jess manages to tape up the last box and take it back to Gary's place.

Jess thinks about Rory, and her phone call. He didn't want to be so stand-offish toward her. But the day after she'd gone, he'd torn straight into the guest bedroom and straightened it out. Rory had kept it clean, but the mere fact that he had done it made him feel so guilty.

He didn't deserve Rory.

8 8

A couple of weeks later (the week before Thanksgiving), Rory gets a phone call from Gary.

"Hey Rory," he says. "Sorry it's been a while."

"That's okay. But you're feeling better now I hear?"

"I'm on top of the world. I don't care if it took a car accident; to have Lina back with me is a blessing."

Rory chooses not to mention that his wife didn't trust him before so who's to say she'll trust him now. "I'm assuming you didn't call just to catch up."

"You are correct as always, cara. I called to ask if you still want cooking lessons."

"I do, actually." She hasn't really thought about it much, but learning something new is always important.

"How's tomorrow?" Gary asks. "I just took the day off."

"Tomorrow's perfect, actually. I promised I'd pick Dani up in the afternoon, so any time before that is fine."

"Beautiful. We'll meet at my house." Gary gives Rory his address and directions, and they say a fond farewell.

8 8

The next day, Rory roars out of Stars Hollow bright and early. She's been living in the apartment above the diner since she left Paul, except when Dani is with her. Then they both camp out in Lorelai and Luke's house.

Rory hopes to get to Gary's early enough that whatever she cooks she can eat for lunch before going to get Dani.

8 8

Gary is the happiest Rory has ever seen him, although, Rory realises, she has only met him once before. It's strange to think that. Since she and Gary both have such strong connections with Jess it feels like they've known each other forever, without Jess having said anything to either about the other.

Conversation flows easily between them as they peel potatoes. Gary has decided that Rory is going to learn to make gnocchi with a tomato based sauce. Not bolognaise as he keeps reminding her. There is no meat in this dish.

"Cooking is love," Gary philosophises. "We cook to show our affection. Be it neighbourly love as Jesus tells us we must have, or the deep, romantic love we hold for a spouse."

"But what if I'm cooking for myself?" Rory asks.

"That could be considered the saddest love of all – love for oneself. But I don't think of it that way."

"Then how do you think of it?" Rory is genuinely interested. Whenever anyone has mentioned cooking and love before, they never seem to consider that possibility.

"You're not cooking for yourself. You are nourishing your own self so that you may go on to love more people.

"Does the suicidal man eat? No, he starves himself, begging death to take him in any way he can."

Rory gazes at Gary thoughtfully and wonders how his wife ever thought he had cheated on her. "You really do love cooking, don't you?" Rory remarks rhetorically as she sets the pot of water on the stove.

"I do not love to cook," Gary proclaims. "I merely love."

"Well I guess that's why I've always loved to eat," Rory comments. "I was always surrounded by people who loved me."

"To share a meal is to share life."

Rory and Gary work side by side for another twenty minutes before their lunch is finished. Sitting at Gary's farm-style kitchen table with plates of pasta before them, they are content and connected in a way they never were before.

"I can finally see why sullen Jess would be friends with you," Rory comments. "This is the best gnocchi I've ever had."

"I don't know if that was a compliment or an insult."

Rory laughs. "Seriously, Gary. You're an amazing teacher. Did you ever consider teaching people how to cook?"

"Can you imagine me teaching home ec?" Gary asks.

Rory laughs again. "I was thinking more along the lines of cooking school. But if Jess can teach high school kids, anyone can."

"Anyone with patience. That I lack."

"Jess is one of the most impatient people I know. Besides my editor, he's basically it. It's like when you're talking to him he can't waste all of himself waiting for you to finish, so he's thinking about something else at the same time. But at the same time, he's still focusing all his attention on you, analysing what you're saying and comparing it with what you really mean. And at the same time thinking of something to say, but it's all so perfectly timed that when he does say it, it's as though in that moment he came up with the perfect thing to say, effortlessly."

"You're in love with him," Gary says bluntly and with remarkable insight.

"I'm not," Rory denies immediately.

"Most people don't think that much about how Jess Mariano thinks."

"Most people haven't known him as long as I have."

"You haven't seen him in ten years. You're in love with him," Gary repeats.

"I was in love with him. That's when I had the time to think about that."

"You're in love with him," Gary reiterates a third time.

"I can't be. I'd feel different. I still remember what it was like the first time."

"You never fell out of love with him. You've always loved him."

And as is her wont after the acknowledgement of such things, Rory makes a quick exit.

"I need to pick up Dani," she says before hurrying out of the room, borrowed apron and all.

8 8

As Rory drives back to Paul's place, she wonders why she acted so strangely. It is always Jess, she realises. The truth hurts. But of course, just as she's thinking things through, finalising a divorce, Jess has fallen off the planet into that place called: Give Rory the Cold Shoulder.

But, Rory thinks as she parks in her old driveway, that's a problem for another day. Jess is always going to be there somewhere.

8 8

That afternoon, Rory takes Dani to her office.

"Can I play with Martha?" Dani asks as they walk hand-in-hand up to the paper's office.

"I'm not sure if she's in, sweetie," Rory responds. "But if she is, and she doesn't mind, then yes."

"Yay," Dani cries, skipping ahead of her mother in her eagerness.

They take a familiar elevator up to the third floor where Martha's desk is. Martha is one of the lifestyle section's editors. Mostly the living, house and home stuff.

To Dani's delight, Martha is sitting at her desk. What Dani most loves is Martha's vast collection of snow globes, and the stories that most go with them.

"Hi Martha," Rory greets her co-worker.

She glances up with a smile. "Rory! And Dani too. How are you sweetheart?"

"I'm good, thanks!" Dani replies with excitement.

"Do you mind if I leave her with you? Sandra's left something on my desk which she wouldn't mail to me because she absolutely had to speak to me in person."

"I had half a mind to do the same thing," Sandra declares. "I know you're going through a rough patch, but you need your friends."

"I'm aware of that," Rory smiles, and watches as Dani shakes a snow globe. "I've basically moved back in with my mother when Dani's with me. The rest of the time I'm living above my stepfather's diner."

"I'm sorry I hadn't the space for you. But with Scott's parents in town…"

"I don't mind at all. You know I always spent more time in the office than I absolutely had to."

"And now you don't come in unless you absolutely have to."

"That's right," Rory grins. "So can I leave her with you?"

"Of course. Dani and I are going to have lots of fun together, aren't we sweetheart?"

Dani doesn't respond, too involved in her conversation with a snowman inside a snow globe.

"Bye Dani. Be good for Martha, won't you?"

"Yes mommy," Dani agrees absently.

Rory goes to her desk to find some empty boxes sitting on it. Panic grips Rory as she realises that Sandra might have been meaning to fire her. She cannot be fired. What will she do? She'll never be allowed to keep Dani if she doesn't have an income. What could she possibly have done that would make Sandra consider it? And what can she do to fix it?

"Ah, there you are Rory," a voice from behind startles Rory. "I see you've seen my little present."

"The boxes?" Rory queries, hoping it's some sort of practical joke played by another member of staff.

"Yes," Sandra beams.

So much for a practical joke. "I don't understand." Is the woman so pleased to be getting rid of her? Can she not even wait to sound so jubilant once Rory is gone?

"I'm giving you a promotion!"

Rory is instantly relieved. She is not being fired.

Sandra smiles. "Now, you know how the paper's been thinking about expanding its lifestyle section into a magazine insert? Congratulations, you're in charge."

"What?" Rory feels like she's being given some sort of surprise marriage proposal from a stranger in front of a crowd of thousands. "I can't have a promotion."

"Nonsense!" Sandra declares, continuing on as though Rory isn't looking at her as though she's just declared she's a psycho killer. "You've been here eight years now. Your column sells this newspaper. You deserve it."

"But I'm not cut out for managerial things. I can barely keep my own life together," Rory protests.

"You'll just be editing," Sandra replies. "Didn't you want this?" Finally she is coming back down to Earth, realising that Rory is less than thrilled.

"You know I'm having personal issues. There's the divorce and Dani to think about. I can't have more responsibilities than that."

"Oh," Sandra seems more than just disappointed. "I guess you do have to take care of yourself first."

"Thank you for understanding."

"I don't really. But I know a 'no' when I hear one."

"You know I would have been thrilled about it two months ago."

"So I guess I should take my boxes back. And give them to Andrew. He's been begging for it since he heard. Since before anyone else knew."

"The paper will be better off with someone keen behind the wheel."

"Not if they're keen with bloodlust."

Rory laughs. "He's not as bad as all that."

"Are you absolutely certain you don't want this job?" Sandra fixes Rory with a calculating look.

"Absolutely," Rory replies with a firm nod of her head. She can't have this. "Dani's my number one priority. I can't have anything clouding that."

"A healthy employee makes for a healthy company," Sandra quotes from somewhere. "She's lucky to have you."

"Tell that to the judge," Rory says darkly.

"I would, you know," Sandra offers. "If you want me to. You're an excellent mother."

"Thanks," Rory replies. "I'll let you know if I need you."

"It's awful what he's doing to you."

"I know. I'd be perfectly happy to keep the arrangement we have now. But Paul's always been selfish and spoilt."

"Well, I wish you luck," Sandra smiles, picking the cardboard off Rory's desk.

"Thank you Sandra." When she's gone, Rory slumps into her chair and groans. Two months ago her life was perfect.

8 8

A/N: Ugh. Is it just me, or do these chapters get worse and worse? Not to mention shorter. But this is one of those necessary in-between chapters.


	11. All Good Things Come To An End

**Jess talks to a little girl **

_Disclaimer: _This is a work of fiction based on characters from the Warner Bros. television show 'Gilmore Girls'. I don't own any of it.

_Author's Note:_ If you usually read these author's notes you'll notice that this was not scheduled to be the last chapter. If you don't usually read these author's notes then you should just ignore this one and maybe you won't notice that this story ends in a rush.

_**Chapter 11 – **__**All Good Things Come To An End**_

Thanksgiving day dawns like any other late November day. In Stars Hollow, the Thanksgiving festival draws the townsfolk out of their beds early and into the town square where a traditional reenactment takes place just after breakfast.

Rory is out in the audience with her mother and Luke. The kids have run off somewhere, but it is Stars Hollow, so how much trouble can they get into? Luke's overprotective side kicks in soon enough, though, and he excuses himself to go and find them.

When the performance is over, Rory and Dani, Luke, Lorelai, Liam and Ana, Liz, TJ, Jacqui and Brian, Sookie, Jackson and their kids, gather at Luke's for the traditional feast. There is raucousness, and general frivolity as old friends catch up on months of gossip. The topic of Rory's divorce is steered around carefully, and Rory is thankful. She doesn't know what she would do without these people.

After lunch, Rory slips outside to the bridge to gather her thoughts. She misses Jess. And she isn't sure why he isn't speaking to her. As she trails her fingers through the water, she ponders her life and her love. Is she still in love with Jess? She thinks about Paul and the divorce. It's less tiresome for her now. They argue over things less. And Rory thinks that maybe she should have known that they wouldn't be together forever. Things that have value to her seem to mean nothing to him. How is that possible?

The thing that really worries her these days is the custody case. She doesn't think Paul could possibly deny her the right to visit with her daughter... but what if he does? What if Paul is so different from how she always thought he was? Rory hadn't given up yet, but at the rate things were falling apart around her, she didn't know how much longer she could hold on. Of course she'd lose Dani. Of course she'd lose Jess. After all, who had really stuck around? Her mother, of course. But they hadn't been nearly as close as they once were since she got married, and more especially, since she'd had Ana and Liam. And despite what anyone might think, she wasn't nearly as close to Luke or Sookie as she might have been. She needed friends her own age. Lane and Paris were living their own lives now.

Sighing as her musings leave her with no resolution, Rory stands and heads back to the diner.

A surprise awaits Rory at the diner in the form of Jess, and the man that Jess would become in twenty years' time: his father.

"Wow," Rory says upon entering. She hadn't thought that Jess would take her up on her offer to bring his father with him.

Jess and Luke are sitting at the counter, talking. Jimmy stands behind them, a little awkward, but participating in the conversation all the same. They must have just arrived because Liz is only now coming up to them and hugging her son, followed closely by her husband.

At Rory's statement, the diner full of people looks at her and she smiles sheepishly before heading toward Jess and his father.

Jimmy looks at her appraisingly. "You must be Rory."

Rory isn't sure whether or not that's a good thing, so she only nods.

He grins. "I can't believe I'm finally meeting you."

Rory smiles. "Well, it's nice to meet you too."

Meanwhile, Jess manages to disengage himself from his mother's embrace. "Liz, I'm fine, really."

She gives him an accusing stare. "I don't think you are."

Luke cuts in. "If he says he's fine, he's fine."

Liz strokes a hand down Jess' arm. "I don't believe you."

Jess shrugs.

Jimmy turns to his ex-wife. "Liz. Lovely to see you."

"It has been a while, hasn't it, Jimmy?" She takes her husband's arm and introduces him. "Jimmy this is TJ. TJ, Jimmy."

They stare each other down as they shake hands.

Dani comes running down from upstairs where the kids had been playing, closely followed by her aunt and uncle, and their cousins.

"Uncle Jess!" she cries as soon as she sees him, flinging her arms around his legs in a fierce hug.

Jimmy looks at Jess with a smirk. "Uncle Jess?"

Jess scowls at his father. "It wasn't my idea."

"I can see that," Jimmy grins.

Jess' brother and sister are next to hug him.

"Jess! Jess!" they shriek.

Jess smiles at them, getting down off his stool and taking the kids outside. It occurs to Rory that all these small children (barring Dani) that are part of her family are all actually blood related to Jess.

It's amazing that she and Jess hadn't run into each other before. But he'd been avoiding her. She knew it now. And if it wasn't for Dani, they might never have been... whatever it was they were, again. Actually, that was right, wasn't it? Her relationship with Jess, except for when they were dating, had never been definable. She'd always known that he was madly in love with her. And now... now she wasn't sure. She wasn't sure about anything.

Rory watches them through the window. Jess isn't doing anything un-Jess-like. He merely stands there and they fawn over him in the way that little kids do. They run around and play and occasionally look up at him for his approval. It's amazing how much it means to them that he is there. Rory leans her face on her hand and sighs.

"You're in love with him, aren't you?" Jimmy's voice startles Rory's mind back into the diner.

"What?" she turns around and looks at Jimmy.

"You're in love with my son." It's no longer a question.

Rory looks at Jimmy, cataloguing the differences between his wizened lines and Jess's barely creased face. "Am I?"

"I've seen it before," he states. "They fall in love with him. They think they can change him. That he'll look at them the same way they look at him. But he doesn't change. And he never looks at them like that."

A cold feeling sinks into Rory's gut. It hurts her to think that she's not the first one of Jess' girlfriends to have met Jimmy Mariano. But she wasn't even Jess' girlfriend. She was his ex-girlfriend, his sort-of cousin, and maybe friend. Nothing clean-cut.

"I don't think Jess needs changing," Rory states. "Except that he does seem kind of depressed these days."

"That he does," Jimmy says, sitting. "I forgot you've known him a long time."

Rory shrugs. "And I still don't _know_ him."

Jimmy smiles ruefully. "I know what that feels like."

They sit in peaceful silence. Rory had never given Jess' father a second thought until that day. She could like him, she knew. Just as much as she liked his son. Who would have thought?

8 8

The divorce negotiations finally end midway through December. Rory is relieved, but wishes she knew what was going to happen with Dani.

A week later, and it's Christmas. Rory smiles as she sits down to Christmas dinner at Liz and TJ's house. She does have at least one reason to celebrate this time. Rory peers over at Jess, conveniently sitting across the table from her. She wishes she had a better reason to celebrate than the end of a marriage.

Jess had arrived late to Christmas lunch. But Liz had been expecting it, since he'd mentioned that he was going to a church service in his own church. She knew they always went longer on holidays, when the once or twice a year Christians joined the once a week Christians. He'd come in all cool and collected, and Rory had wanted to reach out and hug him.

Since Thanksgiving she'd tried to talk to him. After all, she thought that coming to Thanksgiving dinner was his way of reaching out the olive branch. Even after the kids had tired him out, he still hadn't said more than two words to her. And Rory really wished she knew why. So she dwelt on it.

After dinner, Rory sneaks out of the house and steps out onto the balcony. She stares off into the snow drifts and wishes Dani were with her. Paul insisted that since she had Dani on Thanksgiving, he would have her on Christmas. Rory could see the rest of her life being this way, so she let him have his way. It was better to get used to the idea sooner. After all, she'd been the one to ask for a divorce.

A moment later, the door behind her slides open, and a thick blanket finds its way across Rory's shoulders. She turns to face Jess.

"It's cold out here," he states in explanation. He stands next to her, leaning on the railing and the sight of him makes her breath catch. He's only wearing his coat. No gloves, no scarf. Apparently he thinks only she is capable of feeling the cold.

Rory steps closer to him and wraps the blanket around them both. "You'll be cold, too."

They stand in silence for a moment.

But finally, Rory speaks. She can't let the moment get away without at least trying to talk to Jess. Surely that's why he's here. In Stars Hollow. Outside his mother's house. With her.

"Jess," she whispers, knowing that he can hear her quite clearly in the silence of the night. "We are friends, aren't we?"

He looks at her, and she's not sure whether he's feigning curiosity or something else. She hates being so unsure. Rory Gilmore always has everything under control. She thought she was getting some of that back.

"Well, we are spending a holiday together, aren't we?"

She gives him a look. "It's family that does that. And... in a roundabout way, we are family, Jess."

"I know," he states, continuing to stare off into the distance. "You're my cousin."

She shudders. "Never say that."

"Why not? Your mother is married to my uncle. Usually, that's how it works out."

"We used to go out," she says.

"Once upon a time," he agrees.

This conversation isn't going the way she'd hoped. "A while ago... before you and I met again this year..." She turns to look at him. "Did you ever think about me?"

He looks at her. "Sometimes."

"Because," she states quietly. "I used to think about you."

"Bet your husband loved that."

"Ex-husband," Rory cuts in.

Jess rolls his eyes.

She smiles. "I just like saying it."

"I wish you didn't."

She's taken aback. "What?"

"I wish you'd loved your husband so much that you'd never split."

"Why?"

"Wouldn't you have been happier?"

She ponders the question. "I guess so. But not if he didn't love me just as much." She takes a breath. "But then we wouldn't be hanging out like this."

Jess nods. "You're right. But would that really be better?"

Rory doesn't even have to think about it. "Yes."

Jess freezes. Carefully, he lifts the blanket off his shoulders and settles it back around hers. "It's getting late. I think I'll head back now." He turns to walk away, but before he can reach the door, Rory stops him.

"Don't run away from this."

He smirks at her, and it breaks her heart. "But that's what you always do, isn't it Rory?"

For a moment she's startled, and can't move. By the time she does, his car has started and he's off. Back to New York where she can't hurt him.

8 8

The next day, Rory makes up her mind. She's not just going to wait around for Jess to come to his senses. She's going to force him to tell her exactly what's wrong. She's going to make him explain everything.

Some days she's grateful that Paul has Dani. Today is one of them. After breakfast at Luke's (something which would always outrank Breakfast at Tiffany's in Rory's opinion), Rory bids her mother farewell, sticks her keys into the ignition of her car and drives off.

8 8

Jess sits at the counter in his kitchen moodily. There is a visible streak across the otherwise pristine surface. He will not touch it. He will drink his... coffee? Jess stares at the beverage curiously. That is not his usual breakfast drink. Coffee makes him think of Rory. Of course it would. Jess bets that coffee makes Paul think of Rory. And that Logan Huntzberger, too. And who could forget Dean Forester, the jolly green giant Jess had rescued Rory from?

The drink is wrong. The stain is wrong. It's all wrong. So Jess leaves it behind. He steps out in his pyjamas (Why isn't he dressed at this hour?), doesn't lock the door behind him, and just leaves. He's barefoot, and it's winter and it's cold and none of it matters. He thinks he's going insane, actually, and doesn't do a thing to stop it.

Eventually, as he stands on his icy lawn, the cold does sink in.

"Hey Mr Mariano!" someone calls.

It's a teenage boy standing across the street, walking a dog. He's barely recognisable, but must have been one of the students from the school.

Jess inclines his head in an acknowledging nod.

"Nice PJs!" he shouts. As he continues on his way, he pull out a phone and being sending a message to someone. When Jess is sane again he'll probably be thankful that the boy didn't think to take a picture.

A car speeds down the street, but slows as it reaches Jess' driveway. Jess recognises it as Rory's just as she parks in his driveway. Perhaps that's why he's out here. He's waiting for her.

Rory steps out of her car, good and angry. Ready to tell Jess exactly what's on her mind. She slams her door in anticipation. She opens her mouth-

But whatever it is that she was going to say slips her mind completely. Jess Mariano is standing in his pyjamas, barefoot, in his front yard, on the grass, in December.

"Jess?" she asks, worried. Quickly, she sheds her jacket, placing it around his shoulders and steering him back toward his house.

"Everything's wrong," he states.

"Come on," she says. "Let's go inside. Get you warmed up."

He walks slowly, not seeming to realise that she's there for all that she's helping him back into his house.

Rory takes him in, and sets him down on the couch, using the decorative blanket settled on the back of it to cover him up. She kneels down and starts a fire in the fireplace.

"Let's have something to drink, okay?" she says absently, looking at the shell of a man she encountered for a moment before leaving.

Rory heads straight for the kitchen. She notices the mug of coffee on the counter. It's cold, so she tips it down the sink, leaving the mug itself there. Quickly, she takes milk out of the fridge and rummages in Jess' cupboards until she finds hot cocoa mix. She fills two glasses with milk, then microwaves them. She can't bear to go back into the room with Jess yet, so while she waits she cleans the counter.

The microwave beeps, and Rory stirs spoonfuls of the cocoa mix into each mug. Finally, she gathers her courage and walks back into the lounge room.

Thankfully when she gets back in, Jess is looking more alert. He's leaning on his knees and staring at the fire as though wondering where it came from.

"Here," Rory says, handing him a mug which he thankfully takes.

She sits beside him and sips, waiting for him to speak first.

Halfway through his mug of cocoa, Jess speaks. "What are you doing here?"

"What am _I_ doing here?" Rory asks. Doesn't he care at all that she found him outside in the snow?

"Yes." He takes a long sip.

"I came to talk to you. You're lucky I did. You were well on your way to frostbite."

"Can we just pretend that never happened?" he asks.

"I don't know," Rory says. "Has it ever happened before?"

He shakes his head. "No."

Rory isn't sure if she believes him. "Are you okay?"

"Yes."

The answer is too quick for her liking. "I mean, emotionally. Mentally. Spiritually?"

"I have friends, I don't turn the kids I teach into mental cases, and I go to church every Sunday."

"But Jess," she pleads. "That's not what I meant."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Frustrated, Rory gives up and wonders if it has anything to do with the reason why she came to visit him in the first place. "Does it have anything to do with us?"

"Us, Rory? There is no us."

It pains her a little to hear it, but she charges through. "I know. But… well… you've kind of been avoiding me."

"Avoiding you? It's not like we were ever particularly close."

"We were once. And there's a difference between not talking much and avoiding people."

"Is there?" he feigns ignorance.

"The last time we really talked… The last time I was here… I thought we were connecting."

"I can't always be what you want me to be."

"I'm not asking you to be anything. I just want to know."

"Know what?"

"We kissed, Jess. And I don't know about you, but that meant something to me. And now that I'm properly divorced I thought that we could be something."

"You don't want to be with me, Rory," Jess states quietly.

She reaches over and puts a hand over his. "I do, Jess."

"No!" he shouts, standing. "You don't want to be with me. You want to be with seventeen-year-old Jess, back in Stars Hollow. You don't know anything about _me_."

She flinches as though he'd physically struck her.

She watches as he replaces the blanket back where she'd found it, and suddenly her reporter brain kicks in.

"What happened to you, Jess?" she asks. "Who broke your heart?"

He freezes, and turns on her. For a split second she believes that he's going to hit her. Or at least yell and scream. He does neither. He simply walks out of the room.

Rory stands and follows him. She let him get away last night, but today she wants to know. Today she is going to find out. She wasn't a reporter for nothing. Lois Lane can eat her heart out.

Jess is in the kitchen, tipping the remains of his cocoa down the sink. Rory watches as he washes that mug, and that morning's coffee mug. She watches as he dries them, then places them on the dish drainer. Finally, he turns and faces her.

He hasn't been crying, but Rory knows that if she was in his place (whatever place that happened to be), she would have already. Her heart ached to know that he was in pain and that she couldn't do anything about it.

Turning his head away from her, he speaks. "Her name was Marilyn."

Rory gasps quietly. She hadn't really thought that there was anyone. She wasn't sure. But there it was.

"Today's the day she told me she was pregnant," he continues.

"What?" Rory asks. Jess has a girlfriend? Jess' girlfriend is pregnant?

"The anniversary of it, anyway. Five years ago."

Jess' girlfriend was pregnant was five years ago. But Jess didn't have a kid, did he?

"What happened?" Rory asks.

"What do you think happened? I asked her to marry me. She said yes. We bought this house. We moved in together. The room you slept in last time you were here? That was our bedroom. The one next to it was for our daughter."

"And then?" Rory prompts.

"She miscarried. It was late in the pregnancy, past the point where it should have been safe. Our baby girl was dead. The doctors still don't know what happened. One day we were happy, and the next she was gone. They were both gone."

Rory doesn't know what to say. "I'm sorry." She doesn't even want to know what it would have been like to have lost Dani before she'd even known her. It would have killed her. It looks like it's killed Jess.

He lost his daughter and his fiancée in one fell swoop.

"I don't need your pity," Jess states.

"It's not pity," Rory protests. "Did she ever talk to you about it?"

"Marilyn?"

Rory nods.

Jess shakes his head. "No. She didn't want to while she was still in the hospital. Then the day that they were going to release her, I went to pick her up and she was gone. She left a note that said she couldn't handle it and told me not to go looking for her."

"It seems like that's the sort of thing you should have dealt with together."

"I wasn't in love with her, Rory. At best, we were friends. She told me she was pregnant, so I proposed."

"That doesn't seem like the sort of thing you would do."

He shoots a glare at her. "I told you that you don't know me."

Rory frowns. "Maybe not. But you've met my mother. You know that you could have done it without being married."

"And how often do you see your father?" He sighs. "I don't know why I'm doing this," he mutters to himself. "We might not have been in love, but I know the value of family. I know what it's like to grow up without a father. Hell, I even know what it's like to grow up without a mother. I know what would have happened to Marilyn and our daughter if I hadn't helped."

"Does Luke know about this?" Rory asks, after a pause.

Jess nods. "Of course. I was going to have a baby; I was going to get married. Of course I told him."

"Did my mother know about this?"

"Probably," Jess shrugs. "They were married. I couldn't have cared less if she knew at the time."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Rory asks, finally.

Jess nods. "Sorry to burden you with my life story."

Rory steps forward, taking his hands in hers. "Jess, it's not a burden. It's what I've been trying to tell you since I got here. I want to be a part of your life. I want to be more than just a part of it. I want to share it with you."

He pulls his hands out of her grasp. For one brief, painful moment, Rory thinks that he is going to push her away again. He doesn't, though, merely linking his hands behind her waist and drawing her closer.

"I don't deserve you," he states.

Rory looks at him curiously. "Why not? I'm not perfect myself. And I haven't seen you to be anything other than a good person."

"Because I'm not a whole person," he states. "I'm worse than a husk."

"I've felt like that too," Rory states. "Like I was breathing and walking and talking, but not _living_."

"And then what happened?"

"I got divorced," Rory laughs.

The throaty sound of her laughter fills Jess in a way he wasn't sure he could be filled.

They kiss, then. Neither is sure who instigated it. They kiss and fireworks go off, brass instruments burst into a noisy fanfare, souls unite again in remembrance, and still the kiss continues.

Hands sneak up and down backs as tongues between dance to some half-forgotten rhythm. Fingers tangle in cloth, in hair, tickling their way up and down bare flesh. Gasps and moans fill the air when there's time to grasp for breath.

Then the grandfather clock in the sitting room chimes the hour.

Rory steps back, catching her breath before speaking. "I have to" – pant – "get Dani."

Jess nods as he inhales deeply. "Okay."

"Do you want to come?" asks Rory.

"And meet your ex? No thanks," Jess replies.

Rory laughs breathlessly. "We'll come back here," she states.

Jess nods. "Can't wait."

They both lean in to kiss, then, already knowing and anticipating the action. It's a quick goodbye kiss then Rory has floated out the door.

Jess smirks as he contemplates Paul's reaction to his ex-wife's thoroughly kissed appearance.

8 8

She draws the marker across the surface of her colouring book. The book slips, and the marker trails along the glass table. She smiles as she notices the way the light comes through the ink, changing it different colours when she tilts her head. Now what about a different colour?

She selects a red marker from the packet, uncapping it then drawing a rough circle beside the first blue line. Better. But it could be even better than that.

She pulls each of her eight markers out of the packet, and draws on the table's glass surface. Laughingly, she realises that it's possible to smudge the colours on the table. But they just combine into an ugly green-brown.

She ignores that patch and starts afresh. The table is a bigger canvas than she'd realised before.

"What on earth are you _doing_?" an angry voice yells at her.

She recognises it as her father, immediately capping the marker she is holding and stepping back.

"Drawing," she replies innocently.

"On the table!" he adds sharply.

"It's pretty."

"It's pretty," he mutters to himself in a cruel imitation of her voice, then raises it again. "Danielle Bancroft that is going to take me _hours_ to clean."

"I'm sorry daddy," she responds, stepping back.

"I can't believe you did this!" he roars, stepping toward her. "Look at it! Look at this mess!" He points at it, then pushes her head slightly to the side when she doesn't turn it fast enough.

It hurts her. She cries.

He's immediately apologetic. "I'm sorry sweetheart. It's just that I've got a lot of work to catch up on and I have to be here to meet your mother."

She catches the last word. "Mommy! Where's mommy?"

"She's coming, sweetie. She'll be here soon."

She stands, running away from her father. "I want my mommy! Where's my mommy?"

"She's not here yet," her father explains, exasperated.

She heads for the front door. She'll wait for her mommy outside. It's locked, and the keys are nowhere in sight.

"Daddy it's locked!" she whines.

Her father follows and decides that it's okay to let her out. He does so, and follows her outside, down the front steps.

Then she does something unexpected.

She takes off, running to the edge of the lawn screaming, "Mommy! Mommy!"

Embarrassed, Paul steps forward. "Dani, come back inside to wait."

"Mommy!"

He reaches out to grab her but she darts away, speeding down the sidewalk quickly.

It happens in slow motion, just like it does in every film, and every single T.V. show.

Dani rushes away from her father.

The car backs out of the driveway. It alone does not seem to be affected by the slow-motion cloud that Paul is seeing through.

Dani steps into the driveway just in time for the car to hit her, sending her sprawling beneath the car's tyres.

"Stop!" Paul yells as loudly as he can, tearing toward the neighbour's driveway. Even as he calls out the word he knows it's too late. The car drives straight over her little body and Paul can't believe it. "Dani!"

He's yelling and screaming and has no idea what he's saying. His neighbour stops the car as soon as he sees the man grieving beside his car. Paul looks underneath the car at his daughter. The neighbour begins calling for emergency services.

It's too late. He knows it is. Her little body is mangled, there's blood all over the place. She isn't even crying. There's not the tiniest movement from her body.

"Paul?" calls his ex-wife. There are footsteps behind him and he knows that she can see. "No! No! No!"

Paul stands between Rory and the car, putting his arms around her and shielding her from the sight as sirens sound in the distance.

8 8

From then on, it's all a blur. The police are there. Then there's the hospital. And the police. And the police must be following them because they're everywhere. And Lorelai is there. And Luke is there, and that's how long it's been, because Stars Hollow is so far away. Paul's parents are there too.

Rory can barely keep track of whose arms are around her. It doesn't matter whose arms are around her. They aren't small and smooth and pale. They aren't attached to Dani. They don't belong to her daughter. She'll never feel her daughter's embrace ever again. Never.

And it's all Paul's fault. The cold truth slips through her sharply, maddeningly, and quickly.

She feels evil as she thinks it. She knows it can't be his fault. Not really. No more than hers for not being there. She should have been there. There shouldn't have been a divorce. There shouldn't have been any custody hearings. She would have been there, and Paul would have been at work like he wanted to be, and he wouldn't have had to look after Dani. And it's wrong. All wrong.

He didn't want to look after Dani, and that's why it's his fault. He wouldn't let her take Dani over Christmas.

And she's screaming now. The arms are trying to restrain her but she breaks free. She doesn't know where she's going, but she leaves anyway.

"Rory," a voice calls.

That's her name. And a familiar voice using it. But not one of the ones she's heard since she got here. She looks up and locks eyes with her favourite coffee-coloured pair.

"Jess," she splutters before latching onto him, spilling tears over his shirt, her first since her daughter's death.

He strokes a hand down her back, looking to anyone for help. He doesn't know how to comfort people. He doesn't know how to deal with people in general, let alone a woman whose child has just died.

"How do you do it, Jess?" she asks. "How do you live when your child has died?"

Jess doesn't have the answer to that. Has he ever lived?

"How do you think I manage?" he asks her instead, stroking her hair.

She looks up at him, blue tear-filled pools locking with his own. "I think you love again," she states.

Jess doesn't know exactly what that means, but she's stopped crying and is instead kissing him. He's not sure if he should let her. If some psychologist would tell him that she was just projecting, or distracting herself from the truth. It felt like acceptance, though, so he let her kiss him.

8 8

Rory has lapses. She's still grieving. They all are. But while Rory only grieves for her daughter, her family grieves for Rory, too. She goes back to Stars Hollow with Luke and Lorelai, living in their house. She still doesn't have one to call her own. She was waiting until the results of the custody battle. But that doesn't matter anymore. Nothing matters anymore.

Stars Hollow is full of memories. Every turn reminds her of her daughter. And now, after the funeral, the graveyard is the worst.

She can't go to Luke's or Doose's. The gazebo is out, and Babette's house, and the Inn. Even the bridge. Her bridge. Spoilt. Forever marred by her child's lost soul.

They talk about her, Rory knows. Her mother and Luke. And then they talk with Jess. She knows that too. He can't be with her all the time. During the week he still has work. He comes down on the weekends, and she spends time with him. And he shares with her all his secrets. He tells her about the names he wanted for his daughter, about the books he'd bought, about the life they'd planned.

She tells him about what she did with Dani. Why that particular spot was painful to look at. Why she burst into tears at the thought of ice cream. Why everything.

8 8

One day, Rory wakes up, and she knows it's over. She has a column to write. She has new insights on loss and grief that she knows her readers must be dying to hear about. She can eat breakfast at Luke's without choking.

She picks up the phone and she calls Jess.

"Rory?" he asks, worried.

"I'm fine," she responds to the unasked question.

"You do sound fine," he states in wonder.

"I was thinking," she says. "About us."

"What about us?" Jess asks.

"That it's about time we moved in together."

"It is?" Jess is puzzled.

"It's perfect. I don't have a house that's close to work and all that. And you have spare rooms galore."

"Thanks for reminding me," Jess states.

"I'm better now," Rory affirms. "And I think it's time you got better too."

THE END

8 8

A/N: And that's the end of it. I wish I'd been able to finish it properly, but I haven't the patience for it. I'm sorry, but I figured it was better for you guys to know how it actually ends, rather than waiting until the end of time for one chapter that wouldn't tell you anything.

I suppose I should also probably apologise for the kind of sad ending. How many of you were expecting Dani to die, I wonder?

Anyway, if there's any question that needs answering that I've forgotten to answer, just ask and I'll get on it. This story is for you guys after all.

And lastly, I just want to say thanks to everyone who ever read or reviewed this story. Whether you liked it the story or not, you're the only reason why this story has an ending at all.


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